Northern Civilians

• Although life was easier for those in the North, especially for the wealthy, there were negative effects. Some of the border states saw battles and cross-border raids. Life was especially hard for new immigrants, many of whom could not buy their way out of the draft and were conscripted almost immediately after arrival. Life was difficult, both emotionally and economically, for all families who had family members serving but it was especially difficult for immigrant families who had just arrived to lose a family member.
  
  

Southern Civilians

• Life for civilians in the South was a complete contrast from life in the North. Almost as soon as the war started, the plantation system began to break down. With fewer rail lines and blockaded ports shortages began almost immediately. In addition to having family members away fighting, many of the battles were fought on Southern soil. The "March to the Sea" of Gen. William T. Sherman's "total war" philosophy was particularly devastating. Sherman's troops took or burned everything of value in their path, leaving a wake of destruction and starvation.
  
  

African-Americans

• The life of African-Americans was particularly difficult during the war. The war was initially a war to preserve the Union. Only later, when the Union wanted to recruit black soldiers, did it become a campaign to end slavery. During the war a total of a half million slaves escaped to the North, a hardship in itself. In the South life for blacks was harder than it was for whites. Southern slave owners, afraid their slaves would run away or be captured by Northern soldiers, were stricter than usual and shortages fell harder on slaves than on their owners.
  
  

Soldiers

• Both the armies of the Civil War were rapidly raised, poorly trained and frequently had inexperienced leadership. Like the civilian populations, the Union soldiers were better supplied and had fewer shortages than Confederate soldiers. There were brutal battles and inadequate medical care for the wounded but one of the most frequently encountered hardships was boredom. Soldiers could spend weeks or even months waiting in camp with little to do, except for menial camp duties such as gathering firewood.