Existing comment:
"Drilling is warm work. We would get pretty tired before our day's work ended. We were, however, learning our lessons in soldiering, and the drill was an important part of them. It is this mainly that makes the difference between trained soldiers and a mob."
-- Private George A Gibbs, 18th Mississippi Infantry
Bravely predicting swift victory, soldiers chafed under monotonous drills and discipline. Shortages of food, equipment, transportation, uniforms, and weapons plagued both sides. Volunteers found themselves crowded together in encampments where diseases spread. Many wound up in hospitals. |