Step back in time, and try to imagine yourself a soldier in the U.S. Civil War. Where do you sleep? How do you pass the time? What personal items did you bring from home? Here's a great way to add a dimension of reality to your perspective of ancestors who lived through and perhaps served in that war.
The National Park Service's "Camp Life" reveals the daily life of both Union and Confederate soldiers with an online exhibition of common everyday items. Learn what a "housewife" is, and why infantrymen were only issued half a tent. By focusing on these simple, useful items, the Gettysburg National Military Park gives us unique insight into the life of a Civil War soldier.
You can view "Camp Life" at: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/gettex
