Campsites during the Civil War, especially the Camp of 153rd New York, were usually temporary and varied; therefore, there is not a lot of information available about them. In general, camps like the 153rd New York would have established grounds during the resting periods in between battles.
The camps had simple tents or other improvised huts and were built alongside water sources or nearby transportation points. As for life in these camps, and especially the Camp of 153rd New York, letters, diaries, and maps from that era have been found, however, historians and chroniclers have very little detail recorded or documented.
Cavalry Soldiers
Cavalry forces fought on horseback, armed with pistols, carbines, and their iconic sabers. During the first half of the war, the Confederate soldiers enjoyed the advantage in cavalry, as southern men and boys were more accustomed to the riding and shooting life. However, Confederate cavalry generals tended to mount spectacular stunts that failed in actuality to achieve strategic objectives.
By the second half of the war, the Union Army had gained greater cavalry capabilities. Although cavalry units proved to be very expensive to maintain, and unscrupulous agents would often exploit shortages by supplying defective animals at insane prices for that time.
Union Army Laundress in Washington D.C.
Tent life in the vicinity of Fort Slocum, in Washington, D.C., 1861, where a Union Army Laundress poses with a soldier and children. Most of these servicewomen came from the poorer parts of society, including African Americans, as well as Caucasian women.
Washington, D.C., during the war, was the center of the Union war effort, which quickly turned it from a small city into a major capital with full civic infrastructure and powerful defenses. Despite the chaos, Abraham Lincoln insisted that the construction of the United States Capitol continue throughout the war.
Zebulon Bair Vance
The Civil War has many figures who helped structure the outcomes of these devastating times, and Zebulon Bair Vance is one of them. During the American Civil War, Zebulon Bair Vance was a North Carolina Representative, Governor, and Senator who lived between 1830 and 1894. Bair Vance was a notable public speaker and appreciated writer and was considered one of the most influential Southern leaders during the war.
He encouraged the modernization of the South by expanding the railways, building new schools, and, most importantly, reconditioning with the Northern states. Also, he was thought to be progressive and against anything prejudiced or narrow-minded, although he had a personal history of slave ownership.
Major General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee
Mostly known as Rooney Lee, William Henry Fitzhugh Lee was born in 1837, died in 1891, served as a commander of a division, and was later promoted to major general. He was the youngest Confederate officer to hold that ranking. He is most recognized for the part he took in the battle of Five Forks, which took place in 1865, and became a democratic congressman for Virginia after the war ended.
Rooney Lee followed his own father's footsteps by having a rich and meaningful military and political career, however, his life was controversial to many, being responsible for the death of many innocent people.