Camp Life during the Civil War

Camp life during the Civil War was very primative. Housing was mostly of tents, with log insulation used in winter months. Meals were cooked outside on an open fire.

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Other related pages:

• The Civil War Index
• American History Index

On this Page:

• Housing
• Cooking and Eating

Housing	Top of Page
Camps were packed with tents housing 5 or 6 men. This is a Federal, or Union, encampment at Cumberland Landing, Virginia (Source: Library of Congress).
Log cabins were used in winter months to provide insulation from the cold. This picture shows Confederate winter quarters at Centreville, Virginia (Source: Library of Congress).
The Union army also used log cabins in winter months. Chimneys would be built for a fire to keep warm. The picture shows an officers' winter quarters at the Army of the Potomac headquarters (Source: Library of Congress).

Cooking and Eating	Top of Page
Most cooking occurred on an outdoor fire. In the early days of the war freed slaves were not allowed to carry a rifle and fight. They were often given the role of cook or other similar jobs. This picture shows an African American army cook at work (Source: Library of Congress).
This picture shows a dinner party in front of a tent (Source: Library of Congress).
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