Civil War Affect On Families

When looked at the impact of the Civil War many look at it based on politics, on the emancipation, and the elimination of slavery. Few seldom looked at it based on the families. For them the most common impact was the loss of a loved one. The civil war separated families, leaving lives shattered.
*“I still live in hope of getting word from you. I am disappointed everyday in getting a letter if you lack of paper buy it if you lack of envelopes and cannot get them send your letter any way. If you can’t get stamps send it anyhow. If you will write often I will be glad.”(Joseph Jones, Letters from the war) The Civil War tore families apart from each other. Fathers and sons were forced to leave their homes and families to defend their country. Mothers, Fathers, Daughters, and Sons were forced to cope with the death of their families and friends. Families, who lost someone special to them, during the war, were forced to rebuild their lives over from scratch. The Civil War like so many other wars was filled with bloodshed, dead soldiers, and disheartened families. The Civil War had a huge effect on the family and friends of soldiers.
“They are about 13 or 15 years old, wear army uniforms and carry war weapons. By all other measures they are still children, but it is not war games they play.” A few children and men have gone to war willingly, out of patriotism, a sense of adventure, or religious reasons. Some were under the impression they would be drummer boys for the American Civil War but nine times out of ten they would be carrying guns instead of drums. Seeing there were not enough soldiers, those that did not volunteer were forced to join. Young boys leaving home to serve their country were something many American families grew accustomed to. Mothers were obligated to say goodbye to both her son and her husband. Young boys under the age of 13 were taken away from their safe haven, placed into a war zone, untrained, barely able to read or write. Father and Son Samuel Wilkeson Jr. and his young son Bayard Wilkeson were both fighting in Gettysburg. While on the battlefield fighting for his own life, there Samuel Wilkeson Jr. discovered his young son bloody, badly injured body. Bayard Wilkeson was dead. This was the reality of many soldiers at that time. Many had to face this during the Civil War. Being forced into a war you did not want to fight is something the Civil War enforced on many families in the late 1860’s.
Receiving a letter in the mail that a loved one was killed or badly injured is a scenario that played out many of times during the civil war. Being there with a love one on their last days was a very important part of the family obligation during those days. So when willows received the news in mail form they must have been hurt broken. “Letters from a soldier telling of a comrade's death were meant to compensate. The letter described the person's last minutes, his religious state at the time of his death, his willingness to die, his belief in God. And it would often describe where he had been buried, in the expectation that the family might want to come and either reclaim or visit the body." (Drew Faust, Library Journal) Not seeing your son or husband in months and your only connection with them was through letters then to hear they are dead was tragic. The Civil War forced this life on many families. Young kids were forced to grow up without their parents. Mothers were forced to raise the children on their own. Sons didn’t have a father figure in their lives anymore. This one war caused million families heartache.
By the spring of 1863 the Confederacy’s War for independence was having a devastating effect on the economy. With the shortage of food and basic supplies, the price of living was increasing. With the soldiers at war, mothers were left to fend for themselves and their children. Food- producing areas of the surrounding countryside was devastated by battles and plundering soldiers, north and southern armies stripped farms to feed their soldiers leaving families hungry. The war not only left families hungry but also homeless. Families were losing everything. Cities, farms, and homes, were all burned and ravaged by cannon fire. Bridges, railroads, businesses, and industries were either destroyed or nearly wiped out. Everything from food to fuel was of short supply. Families dug in burned shell-studded fields for root crops or any other kind of edible vegetation. The ruined houses were used as shelter for many. “Rebuilding was a much lower priority than survival” said Toni Lee Robinson, author of “A Shattered Fairy Tale: The South after the Civil War”. Families at that time didn’t care very much about where they slept, finding something to eat and drink was their most concern. When the Civil War was over many had to start their lives over from scratch.
The Civil War was defined as the greatest war in America history. Millions fought, thousands died, everyone was affect. The war
Affected the soldiers that fought the war, the government that supported the war and the families that were forced to deal with it. When people look at the impact of the Civil War many look at it based on politics, the emancipation, and the elimination of slavery. People rarely look at it from the families’ point of view. Individuals who were there would say the most impact of the Civil War was the loss of a loved one. "The Civil War is a moment that generated an extraordinary amount of historical material because individuals were separated from one another."(Drew Gilpin Faust). Many lives were taken. The price of freedom was high and many had to pay. Fathers and sons were forced to leave their homes and families to defend their country. Mothers, Fathers, Daughters, and Sons were forced to cope with the death of their families and loved ones. Families, who lost someone special to them, during the war, were forced to rebuild their lives over from scratch. The Civil War like so many other wars was filled with bloodshed, dead soldiers, and disheartened families. The Civil War had a huge effect on the family and friends of soldiers. So when asked what and who was affected by the Civil War don’t forget about the family.