Human Interest Stories of the Civil War

The Civil War was perhaps the defining moment in American history, with about 620,000 lives lost and hundreds of thousands more left maimed or suffering in pain the rest of their lives. Yet, despite the horrors of the battlefield, the vast majority of a soldier's daily life was spent either in camp or on campaign. During and after the war, many men, as well as civilians, left written accounts of their activities. Some of these are humorous, some are ironic; some are tragic. Historians Scott L. Mingus and Dr. Thomas M. Mingus have culled through hundreds of these accounts to select some of the very best human interest stories, rewording and condensing them for the modern reader. Here is one example: On one chilly April night, a raw Union recruit was on guard duty at the sprawling prisoner-of-war facility at Camp Chase near Columbus, Ohio. He was wide awake and excited at the prospect of preventing any prison escapes. Near dawn, he perceived in the growing light what he believed to be a man dressed in gray. In his eagerness, he did not call out the usual challenge, but instead immediately leveled his rifle and fired a bullet at the shadowy stranger. His fellow guards, also somewhat jittery, also began blazing away. Soon the entire camp was aroused, and a long drum roll called out the remaining Union soldiers. Many were only half-dressed, but they nonetheless were ordered to fall in. The soldiers dispersed check on the whereabouts of each Rebel prisoner, but the investigation revealed that all were in their usual places of confinement. None had escaped. So, at what had the jittery inexperienced guards fired their weapons? As the daylight increased, it soon became evident that the overly anxious sentinel had killed a nearby farmer’s cow.