The average Confederate soldier
was a young man in his early 20s, unshaven, unkempt, gaunt, but tough
from months of difficult living. The Rebel soldier's woolen hat and
uniform was grey, ragged form either having been worn too long, or
having been "handed down" from a dead soldier. It was not uncommon for
the uniforms to be ill-fitting, with sleeves either too short or too
long, and to have buttons missing. In addition to this
uncomfortable outfit, the soldier wore a white shirt. Those lucky enough to have a
fitting pair of shoes would often nail horseshoes to them to prevent the
soles from wearing down. While the confederate soldier's appearance was often
shabby, it was his spirit which led him to the charge.
The Rebel soldier carried a
flint-lock rifle or a musket, also known as
Confederate Springfields. He kept his ammunition in a cartridge box
attached to the right of his belt. He also carried a small
rolled-up blanket, a haversack, a cloth-covered canteen, a tin cup, and
a small frying pan. As the war went on, more and more Rebels
carried Enfield rifles which they had taken from dead
Union soldiers. Once a
Confederate had acquired such a rifle, he would wear its bayonet in a
scabbard attached to the right of his belt.
As the war progressed, the
Rebels who had been cut off from their suppliers by rail and
sea, Not only did they run out of ammunition, but having not eaten meat
in weeks, many fell ill from fatigue and starvation. Furthermore,
Confederate soldiers were poorly funded, and would sometimes have to
wait months before being compensated for their service, which
meant their families, left behind and waiting for support, would often
go months without eating. While the vast majority of Rebel
soldiers were Caucasian, their ranks also included women (posing as
men), and Native Americans like the Choctaw Indians in
Oklahoma.
The Confederate soldier was a
man who fought for his ideals, not because he had been drafted. Even if
many of those ideals may be offensive by today's standards, we must
still respect the integrity of these men; after all, war itself, the
loss of human life, is an abomination. There were fewer deserters
amongst the Confederates than the Union forces, but those who did
abandoned the fight out of desperation, tired of starving, being away
from their families (sometimes their parents since many were still
teenaged boys), and afraid to die. Some deserted to go protect
their wives and children from Indians who were rumored to have been
attacking farmhouses. Those who were caught deserting would either
be hung or executed by firing squad, but some were spared, only to be
branded with a hot iron and thrown out of camp.
There are very few
photographs of Confederate soldiers taken while they were still alive.
Photography was expensive, and most people could only afford being
photographed posthumously. But we suspect most of the photos taken
of dead Confederate fighters were not taken for the purpose of
remembering the individuals, but remembering victory over them.
