Artwork- This painting from the Civil War shows the harshness of the Terrain that the soldiers needed to often fight on. Much of the battles were onopen fields like this where soldiers could have clear vantage points of their enemies compared to wooded areas that they would use more for shelter because of its denseness like we can see in the back of this painting. In the painting you also can see hat there is much smoke surrounding the soldiers fighting wheather it is from musket or gun fire or from large cannon blast like we see on the top of the painting with smoke coming from the treeline where they may set up cannons because of is protection. Many battles often happened on a hill or somewhere that had an incline because that allows a advantege for those troops because they would be higher elevated and could see what the enemy troops were doing below. So they could have a better understanding of the enemys strategy. While to trrops on the bottom of the hill were at a disadvatage because of the fact that they would have to make it to the top of the hill just to be able to fight the enemy and all the enemy would have to do is stay at the top which could be a fortress that they could use to stay in and not even have to move to kill oncoming enemies. Many of the soldiers that were wounded or killed were just left on the battle field that we can see from the painting which is kind of spooky to think about, just having to fight to men who were on your own side that would be dead on the ground that you would have to fight around.
Letter
Dear Sister -
Pickets don't fire at each other now. We go down to the edge of the river on our side and the Yankees come down on their side and talk to each other. The men on picket opposite are from Ohio, and seem very tired of the war. They say that their term of enlistment will be out in three months and most of them say that when it is out they are going home. Gen. Johnson has issued an order that there shall be no more communication between with them, and I think it is well that he has done so because they were getting too intimate. Some men don't know what should be concealed. The Yankees are very much in want of tobacco, and our Government gives it to us, and we used to trade tobacco with them for knives and canteens. There is a rock near the middle of the river to which they would swim and trade. After a while they got so well acquainted that some of our men would swim clear across and land among the Yankess. The Yankees were not so bold for a long time, but a few days ago they got to coming across also. That has been broken up now and if any trading is carried on, it is done contrary to orders.- - - - I took some tobacco down with me the other day but I found out when I got there communication had been stopped. As I was sitting on the banks, one of the Yankees from the other side called to me to know if I had any tobacco. I told him I had. He said that he had a good knife to trade for it. I told him that trading was prohibited. He said "Your officers won't see you, come over, I want a chew of tobacco very bad." I asked some of them who they were going to vote for President. One of them said "Old Abe" but most of them said they were for McLellan.
We have a fine rain last night that was much needed. I had my oil cloth pitched for a tent but it leaks very badly. I got rather wet but the rain was very hard and lasted only a short time, and I got dry and went back to bed and slept very well. One of the Yankee Lieutenants promised to mail some letters for one of our officers and I wrote to Aunt Martha expecting to send it at the same time but Gen. Johnson stopped the proceeding so I did not send it. There is a force of Yankees on this side of the river and have been there for some time. Why Gen. Johnson don't drive them back I don't know he must have some object in view.
Write to me soon..
Dear Sister -
Pickets don't fire at each other now. We go down to the edge of the river on our side and the Yankees come down on their side and talk to each other. The men on picket opposite are from Ohio, and seem very tired of the war. They say that their term of enlistment will be out in three months and most of them say that when it is out they are going home. Gen. Johnson has issued an order that there shall be no more communication between with them, and I think it is well that he has done so because they were getting too intimate. Some men don't know what should be concealed. The Yankees are very much in want of tobacco, and our Government gives it to us, and we used to trade tobacco with them for knives and canteens. There is a rock near the middle of the river to which they would swim and trade. After a while they got so well acquainted that some of our men would swim clear across and land among the Yankess. The Yankees were not so bold for a long time, but a few days ago they got to coming across also. That has been broken up now and if any trading is carried on, it is done contrary to orders.- - - - I took some tobacco down with me the other day but I found out when I got there communication had been stopped. As I was sitting on the banks, one of the Yankees from the other side called to me to know if I had any tobacco. I told him I had. He said that he had a good knife to trade for it. I told him that trading was prohibited. He said "Your officers won't see you, come over, I want a chew of tobacco very bad." I asked some of them who they were going to vote for President. One of them said "Old Abe" but most of them said they were for McLellan.
We have a fine rain last night that was much needed. I had my oil cloth pitched for a tent but it leaks very badly. I got rather wet but the rain was very hard and lasted only a short time, and I got dry and went back to bed and slept very well. One of the Yankee Lieutenants promised to mail some letters for one of our officers and I wrote to Aunt Martha expecting to send it at the same time but Gen. Johnson stopped the proceeding so I did not send it. There is a force of Yankees on this side of the river and have been there for some time. Why Gen. Johnson don't drive them back I don't know he must have some object in view.
Write to me soon..
I chose this letter because it showed the confederate side of the war because it shows what each side of the war was getting and it was a time a peace because the "Yankees" also known as Northerners were getting knives and canteens and other valuable equipment from their officers and generals but the Southern Confederates were given tobacco from their government which is relevant because the south grows many crops and some of the Yankees wanted Tobacco badly and would trade with the Confederates Knives and materials for tobacco. It was a time of peace between the two sides because it says that both sides are sick of the war and many of them are almost done with the war because their enlisments would then be up. The Generals on both side probably stopped this trade very quick as is can be seen as treason and giving the enemy knives and such so essentially they are trading with the other side and giving both sides something they want