Although battles were fought in the winter, such as the Battle of Fredricksburg in December, 1862, most of the time both armies would find a suitable area and go into Winter Quarters.

In the Confederate army, the companies would disperse into "messes," which were a grouping of 4-5 soldiers who ate togother as a mess. Each group would construct their own "home" for the winter. Some would be elaborate log cabins with a fire place and shelves on which they slept along with hooks to hang their gear and places for their guns. Others would just form four logs in a square, throw hay in the middle and use thier gum blankets as tops. Mostly, the quarters were some where in between log cabin and tent as four walls would be constructed then a piece of canvas used as roofing material. At anyrate, the site would at first be alive with the sound of axes chopping. Soon, the surrounding forest would be gone; victims of the need for building materials and fire wood.

Duties were almost non-existant except for the occosional pulling of picket (or guard) duty. Otherwise, the seemingly endless winter months were spent keeping warm and keeping occupied.

One such way was the good, old-fashioned snow ball fight. Sometimes they were impromtu and sometimes they were planned campaigns against a rival regiment or a regiment from another state. Sometimes a small "skirmish" would erupt into a full-blown "battle" just as in reality. Lines of Battle (regimental and sometimes brigade sized units) would form and snow would be flying back and forth while men made charges to try to capture the others flag. If captured, the offended regiment would fight tenatiously to regain it. These battles would last all day and sometimes for a couple of days. And everyone was fair game, including the officers. Every once in a while, visitors from neighboring cities or towns would come down to see all the fuss. When the men saw the ladies standing on the side lines, it would make them fight all the harder.

Eventually, spring would come as well as the spring campaign season and Johnny Reb would have to leave his comfortable winter home and regain his "marching feet" with painful blisters and aching muscles.

Every military organization needs discipline and a way to enforce it and the Confederate Army was no exception. The Confederate Army governed itself through the old US Army's Articles of War, which was the 19th century equivalent of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Offenses included minor things such as insubordination, drunkenness, deriliction of duty, and such things as that to major infractions such as desertion. Other offenses between the two spectrums included: stealing, reckless firing of a weapon, sleeping on guard, and insulting a woman.

Punishments were arbitrary. The same offense committed by two different soldiers may get one a light sentence and the other a harsh one.

Punishments included but were not limited to the following:

1. Bread and water diet

2. Forfeiture of pay

3. Fatigue duty (extra chores)

4. Confinement in a guardhouse or prison.

5. Wearing a ball and chain for a specified period of time.

6. Marking time on top of a barrel while wearing placard of offense

7. Carrying a log or rail through camp with placard.

8. Riding a wooden horse with placard.

9. Branding

10. Firing Squad

Firing squads were usually reserved for desertion in the face of the enemy, but even some of those who deserted escaped the fate of the man pictured above. It depended on how long a soldier was gone, circumstances (whether deserted from camp or during battle), and whether or not he returned voluntarily. Punishments handed down for desertion included all those listed above. In one case, 6 men who deserted came back and only got a bit of "fatherly advice" from the General Tilghman...yes that's right...only a lecture.

The biggest minor offense was probably insubordination and disrespect to higher authority. Early in the War it was due to the fact that many men of high social standing went to War as privates thinking that this made them more manly; they resented taking orders from officers of lower social order than they. Also, the men were used to their freedom and did not like what they thought of as the useless orders of officers.

Overall, the discipline of the Confederate Army tended to be lenient for fear of sparking desertions and a dwindling army. One exception seemed to be General Braxton Bragg of the Army of Tennessee who had a number of men shot for various offenses. His men hated him.

Disease killed more soldiers than any other cause. Two men died from sickness for every one that died in or as a result of battle. Such illnesses as scurvy, dysentery, diptheria, typhoid, and pneumonia killed hundreds at a time. The cause was mostly sanitary conditions. Camps were filthy. Men dug their sinks (toilets) close to camp for convenience. Men relieved themselves upstream of a river or stream only to use the water downstream for drinking and cooking. Camps were littered with all sorts of trash and food scraps. The men rarely bathed and never during winter. They usually only had one set of clothes that were rarely washed. Conditions were ripe for vermin to spread disease or for disease to spread through contact. The medical knowledge of the day knew about microorganisms but did not know their connection with disease.

Getting wounded in battle meant a visit with the regimental or brigade surgeon and this was a mixed blessing at best.

The weight of a minie ball and its low muzzle velocity meant that if it hit bone, that bone would be shattered and the limb would have to be amputated. This would be true today. The picture below shows an amputation being performed.

Minie balls that hit in the abdominal area were always fatal. Wounds in non-vital areas that did not hit bone were usually fixed by removing the bullet and bandaging; however, unsanitary practices made infection more likely to set in. Other wounds treated by the surgeon were made by bayonets, cannon ball fragments, impact wounds from being hit with rifle butts, and other such hazards of battle. After treatment, the soldier was just set outside the tent or building to recover.

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