A Map of the Civil War: Blue represents Union states, Red represents Confederate states, Light Blue represents slave-holding Union states.
In this letter written on December 25th, 1861 from Camp Wycliffe in Kentucky, a Union state with slaves, soldier Andrew F. Davis writes home to his daughters about Christmas, the camp he is in, and his reactions to news at home. It is obvious that this man deeply cares for his children and expresses his hope that Santa has brought them some wonderful presents. He then goes on to remark on the food at the camp, saying "We had roast chicken, oysters, peach pie, dried beef, molasses, brisket, butter, crackers, milk, sweet potatoes, rice, eggs etc. So you see we did not starve." The conditions seem to be very nice at the camp and it seems that all the men have enough to eat and adequate living conditions. The camp is on hilly ground and each tent has a light in it, which he says makes the tents look like large lanterns. It does not sound like he has experienced many bloody battles yet, and Davis appears to be relatively optimistic about his life in the war.
This painting shows the desperation and sheer determination of the civil war. The Confederate soldiers are charging straight into a hail of bullets, and continue on even though some of their men have been killed. There are a large number of men, and the back of their group cannot be seen in this photo and fades off into the distance. The soldiers vary in age and appearance, and many men regardless of their age or status were drafted to fight for the North or the South in the Civil War.