Existing comment:
Pennsylvanians Waited During the War:
Pennsylvanians on the home front experienced impatience, boredom, anxiety and fear as they waited out the four long years of war. Although wartime brought dramatic activity, waiting was also a substantial part of everyone's experience.
Troops on the front waited for orders -- sometimes for days -- to learn when they would meet the enemy. During downtime, men passed the time writing letters and looking forward to responses and news of life back home.
After working and waiting for an end to slavery, African Americans offered their services to the Union military. They had to wait until 1863, halfway through the War, before being officially permitted to enlist.
Families worried and waited for letters from their loved ones in distance places. The men wrote from the front encouraging them to continue living their lives.
If captured by the enemy, prisoners of war were forced to live in horrific conditions, not knowing when they would be freed.
Thousands of men stricken by disease or wounded in battle convalesced in hospitals, uncertain about their recovery.
Pennsylvanians, particularly those near the southern border, nervously waited to find out if rumors of Confederate invasion would prove to be true. |