Officers in the field lived much better than enlisted men. They generally assigned one or two officers to a tent. Since they provided their own personal gear, items varied greatly and reflected individual taste. Each junior officer was allowed one trunk of personal belongings that was carried in one of the baggage wagons. Higher-ranking officers were allowed more baggage. Unlike infantrymen, who slept and sat on whatever nature provided, officers sometimes had the luxury of furniture.
Enlisted men, unlike their officers, had to carry all their belongings on their back. On long marches men were unwilling to carry more than the absolute essentials. Even so, soldiers ended up carrying about 30 to 40 pounds.
Each soldier was issued half of a tent. It was designed to join with another soldier's half to make a full size tent. The odd man lost out. When suitable wooden poles were not available for tent supports, soldiers would sometimes use their weapons.
Soldiers endured the daily round of roll calls, meals, drills, inspections, and fatigue duties. Throughout this tedious and seemingly endless routine, it was often the personal necessities sent or brought from home, or purchased from sutlers (licensed provisioners to the army) that made camp life tolerable. Many of these items were used for personal hygiene, grooming, and keeping uniforms in repair. Today these diminutive legacies provide us with a very personal and tangible connection to the soldiers of the Civil War.
Confederate and Union soldiers added various clothing and equipment to their military issue . To make their life more tolerable, they brought various personal items to camp or were given them by family and friends. Few soldiers owned all the items in this exhibit, although most had at least some of them.
A variety of personal items were used by Civil War soldiers.
Confederate and Union soldiers often wore civilian-style underwear that they provided themselves. Officers and wealthy individuals frequently wore linen undergarments purchased from commercial houses. Junior officers and enlisted men, on the other hand, usually wore military issued cotton and wool garments.
Confederate "haversacks" were used to carry food rations. These bags were typically made of linen and lacked the waterproofing found on Union counterparts.
Personal effects grew in number during long encampments and were reduced to a minimum during long marches and battles.
Items would generally be boxed and stored in military bases or shipped to quartermaster storehouses to be held until the campaigning season was over.
At the start of the war, many people, including president Abraham Lincoln, thought that the few battles wouldn’t turn into much and that the fighting would be over soon. Clearly, they were wrong. As the fighting continued, uniforms became necessary in order to stop men from shooting others on their own sides. When uniforms were first created, they were very inconsistent in the way they were made. Styles of clothing depended on where they were made or who made them. Many s...
All of these items were carried for two simple reasons, to survive, and to kill, which was of course their job. Next, the things that each individual chose to carry, for many of the men, these items were things that they personally believed that they could not live without, but to others would be unnecessary for survival. For First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. It was pictures of Martha, and also letters from her whom. he loved unrequitedly.
In James McPherson’s novel, What They Fought For, a variety of Civil War soldier documents are examined to show the diverse personal beliefs and motives for being involved in the war. McPherson’s sample, “is biased toward genuine fighting soldiers” (McPherson, 17) meaning he discusses what the ordinary soldier fought for. The Confederacy was often viewed as the favorable side because their life style relied on the war; Confederates surrounded their lives with practices like slavery and agriculture, and these practices were at stake during the war. On the other hand, Northerners fought to keep the country together. Although the Civil War was brutal, McPherson presents his research to show the dedication and patriotism of the soldiers that fought and died for a cause.
The Americans commander was Israel Putnam, there were 1,500 American Troops, the clothing they would have wore would be shoulder belts, cartridge boxes or some would choose waist-belts made of canvas or leather. The higher officers would wear a short hanger or sword, they would usually keep muskets or light fuels on them while they was on duty.
From this, the soldiers have become robotic due to the war, as they no longer possess any emotion or individuality among themselves and thus are no longer differentiable. In order to restore what’s left of their respective identities, the soldiers must carry items that one may assume are “trivial”, when in actuality they are the most significant “things” they carry. For instance, O’Brien details the story behind what one of the soldiers in Cross’ platoon named Kiowa carries by stating, “Kiowa, a devout Baptist, carried an illustrated New Testament that had been presented to him by his father, who taught Sunday school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma” (3). This is the only item Kiowa possesses to reminisce on his
Throughout the chapter many of the soldiers like Ted Lavender, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, Dave Jensen and Henry Dobbins all carried items that reminded them of home and kept them from panicking during the war. For Ted Lavender, who was terrified of the war, carried about six to seven ounces of drugs. He also carried tranquilizers, which kept him calm through every mission they had to do. Lavender took a tranquilizer right before he went to the restroom, on the night h...
All of these supplies were the most significant to the soldiers because they were the most important to their survival.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Hynes, Samuel Lynn.
Tim O’ Brien alternates between narrative and descriptions of the tangible items that they soldiers carry. He remembers seemingly everything that his squad mates were carrying and provides an “emotionless recitation” of the weights of each of the items the soldiers carried into the field. He frequently uses the term “humping” to describe how the soldiers carry their gear; making them appear more uncivilized, like animals. As he switches back to mentioning the intangible items, such as the experiences of his leader Jimmy Cross and his love Martha, the emotional weights of each soldier is felt by the reader. This contrast in style affirms that they soldiers are human and provides emphasis to the weight these intangible objects have on the soldiers.
Dependent on the individual man, the weight varies based on the physical build and priorities. O’Brien makes reference throughout the story of the imperial weight on the men’s shoulders. For example “Henry Dobbins was a big man, [so] he carried extra rations” (O’Brien 366). Each item recorded has a weight describing it, portraying the physical burden a man must carry for the war. In the beginning, Lt. Jimmy Cross’s 10 ounce letters from Martha were significantly more important to him than the other items of protection. This showed how the weight of one item is not equivalent to its importance. The small weight of Martha’s letters greatly impacted a reason for Cross’ change. Throwing away rations
Soldiers were forced to live like turtles, carrying their “homes” (tents and such) along with them in battle. Their equipment was also a hassle, but protected them well in battle. It consisted of mainly helmets and shields. They also carried personal equipment such as shoes, belts, over garments, etc. A soldier had to carry his weapons and artillery with him as well. He had spears, pilums, and pikes to be heaved at enemies. Pilums are spear like weapons that would be thrown at enemies in an attempt to pierce them through their shields. Gladiuses (swords) and Pugios (daggers) were the common hand held weapons. The Gladius was the perfect weapon for the legions because of their light weight and maneuverability. The Pugio was not only a weapon of war, but also had many common purposes.
Although their physical loads did not weigh the soldiers down, they definitely became their necessities. Certain physical burdens became items that helped them escape from the reality of being at war. Even though these men had things they had to carry, they elected to carry more. The items they carried were intended to illustrate aspects of their personality. All of them carried great loads of memories, fears, and desires. These abstract objects were an essential part of them and therefore could not be put down. They continued to carry these emotional burdens along with them throughout the war. And as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross came to realize, “It was very sad…the things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to
At the WWI museum exhibit at the NC Museum of History, I discovered what life was like for North Carolinian soldiers who entered WWI in 1917. The exhibit contained numerous artifacts, historical videos, and other educational components. Among the historical artifacts, there were items such as personal belongings, weapons, food, and clothes. First Lieutenant Thomas R. Darden was one of the soldiers shown in the exhibit. His haversack, gas mask, map case, binoculars case, and other personal items were on display in one showcase. These were items that were actually used by Thomas Darden, who was assigned as a tank commander to assist the British. The stories that the exhibit portrayed of individuals really personalized
In World War I and in the Vietnam War, the soldiers used tools such as guns, medications to keep them calm, first aid kits, melee combat weapons, rations of food, a form of communicating such as walkie talkies, or morse code. Due to the different kinds of terrain that soldiers would be in, different tools would be needed to assist in their survival. In rocky terrain, for example, they might wear heavier and more durable boots to keep being able to trek through the terrain. “When a mission took them to the mountains, they carried mosquito netting, machetes, canvas tarps, and extra bug juice.” In World War I, the soldiers from America traveled over seas to places like Europe, the Middle East, and Asia so that they could go fight in the war. Due to the soldiers having to travel, they needed to take medications in order to not contract diseases from those foreign
One of the clearest points in The Things They Carried is that of the importance of certain objects or feelings used by the soldiers of Alpha Company to survive the war. Jimmy Cross, the leader the group, carries a picture of a Martha, a girl who writes him from the states. Jimmy knows that there is no real relationship between the two, but he uses the picture the help keep him connected to the world he was forced to leave behind. He creates stories in his head about what will happen when he makes it back home, alive. The Bible carried by Kiowa was given to him by his father. When the book is mentioned, it is referring to the smell of the New Testament: the leather, glue, ink and paper. Kiowa carries the Bible as more of a remembrance then as a show of his faith. The stockings carried by Henry Dobbins came from his girlfriend. He carefully raps them around his neck each time the company moves out. Even after his girlfriend ends the relationship, Henry continues to wear the stockings because in his mind, their symbolism has not changed. All these items are psychological tools used by the soldiers to keep them connected to their homes and loved ones. The items are not important just because of who gave them to the soldiers, rather they are important because they seem like t...
It is important not to forget about the burdens that the soldiers carry because most of burdens are bad things. War alone is a tough position to go through and without the things you need it is even harder and some may not make it. Some of the things that they carry is their guns and etc, their hygiene things, and they tend to try to keep water on them. Also some soldiers will carry another bag around with them with a sleeping bag so if they need a break they can lay down and rest right there where they are at.