Weary soldiers trudged on while challenges stuck to them like burrs. Death was in the air, not caused just by bullet wounds, but by horrendous challenges. Hardships affected a soldier’s survival chances on tremendous levels. Some were small challenges, while many others were major. Along with death, medical care and food quality were everyday obstacles for comrades. Some warriors survived these obstacles, when others didn’t. The two opposing sides were fighting for something different, but the comrades experienced the same difficulties. The soldiers in each army were in brotherhood with each other, this gave them the mental strength to win.

     In the Civil War, there was not always advanced medical treatment. Often, when people were wounded, body parts such as legs, arms, fingers, and toes would be amputated. Diseases would threaten people’s lives. Because of cold weather, a soldier would die from pneumonia without proper care. Once they were shot, the comrade would most likely die due to unclean environments. This person’s company would be weakened. To remove the bullet embedded in the open flesh, a medical soldier would dig it out with a knife. Medical care probably didn’t save the lives of the brave soldiers in the Civil War.

     Food was also an extreme challenge during the harsh war between the north and south. Many people were left starving when there was not enough food to be distributed to all the comrades. A soldier’s common food was pilot bread, which was nicknamed “hard tack.” The comrades would dip this hard tack in coffee or fry it in bacon fat just so it would be edible. Sometimes during dinner after a long battle, weary soldiers would find grubs in their small portions of food. The nutrients would provide low energy for the long marches. This would slow the comrades down, sometimes making them not arriving on time for battle. Soldiers were unable to fight with their best efforts because of the poor quality of food.

     Death was all around the comrades after a battle. A soldier once stated, “The dead were lying around like logs.” Decaying bodies were everywhere: on the road, in the woods, and next to other people in the battlefield. A soldier might see his friend’s body, and he knew that the cold still figure lying there once had a joyful life. That life had stopped dead in its tracks, incomplete. The chances of dying were very high, and there were many casualties. In many ways, soldiers died on the battlefield and in their camps: getting slashed by a sword, hit by a rifle bullet, or perhaps just by dehydration. If a soldier saw all the members of his company lying on the ground dead, that person was on his own now, with no orders to follow. To a soldier, a fellow comrade’s death triggered fear, causing him to retreat. Dying was a part of the Civil War, a soldier had to take the risk of death.

     Although these hardships slowed the soldiers down, they were put aside because of the determination to win in honor of their beliefs. Yes, Civil War soldiers faced many challenges, but they persevered through them. Struggling through unclean medical care, the soldiers knew that every breath they drew might be their last. Sickening food was rationed, but the comrades didn’t care; they continued to fight in spite of the treacherous conditions. Most were eager to win for their leaders, their pride, and their country. Death was a major roadblock in a soldier’s mind. Three million people entered the war, but over six hundred thousand didn’t make it out. Bodies were strewn across the battlefields, some wounded and left for dead. The war was an ugly one, but with a great sacrifice, it bound our country together.