Many of the men from the Union who signed up for the war, signed up because they wanted to end slavery. Some even believed God would recognize them for freeing slaves.

During the war, men would get rations of meat provided by the leaders. Each soldier would get a little bit of raw meat once a day. This meant that the men would have the responsibility to cook their meat on their own. If it was uncooked they would get sick.

The soldiers in the Civil War would have to carry all their belongings with them. Meaning they had to carry heavy weapons in their knapsacks. Soldiers would have to carry everything, so they got tired

Many soldiers were often filled with guilt and regret after killing and injuring the opposing soldiers. After the war, men would bad memories from the war.

The Civil War’s reasoning turned into fighting over slavery after Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. Once the war ended, and the Union had won, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery.

A majority of soldiers fighting believed in something called the “band of brothers.” Men grew bonds over the years to motivate them to protect themselves and their fellow soldiers.

Throughout the war, men made friendships with the soldiers they lived and trained with. Many men were motivated to keep their fellow friends safe and alive while fighting in the war. This was called “Band of Brothers.”

The Union produced 96% of the country’s weapons. The Union was put at an advantage for fighting against the Confederacy because they had more weapons, and they also had better quality weapons.

Families were torn by their men who died in the Civil War. If a women’s husband or a young child’s dad died at war, it would be a very depressing time for their family at home. Although the families were heartbroken, they knew that their sons, brothers, dads, friends, or husbands fought for their country. Also, they knew that they were brave and courageous for going for that risk in the first place.

Towards the beginning of the war, southern states were attempting to secede from the nation. Lincoln and the rest of the Union fought to preserve the country. The outcome of the war was that the Union had won. This victory stopped southern states from seceding.

Most of the soldiers were able to sustain their motivation to fight by thinking of their wives and kids at home. The wanted to leave a legacy and have a good reputation for their kids to look up to. Soldiers would fight for their family, so their kids wouldn’t have to.

If soldiers wanted to sleep under something they needed to bring their tent piece. You needed two pieces to make a tent, so you would need to get with a friend or another soldier to put two pieces together. You and another soldier had planned on sharing a tent, but your friend picked another man.

During the war, soldiers had to carry all of their gun supplies with them like gunpowder, bullets, and more.

When the men from the Union returned to their towns after the war they were seen as strong men. People liked them and thanked them because they fought for their side and they were also brave during the war.

Overall, the Civil War was a major turning point in the United State’s history. The war freed slaves, stopped states from seceding, pushed the country to see a fresh start, and more.

The Union was obviously antislavery, while on the other hand, the Confederacy was pro-slavery. This meant that the Union truly and confidently thought that owning slaves was not only bad, but it was also unconstitutional.

Men were limited to what they could bring to war with them in their knapsacks. Most soldiers had no option but to wear the same clothes every day. This caused clothing to rip, shoes to break, etc.

In all, Wisconsin provided more than 91,000 soldiers to 56 regiments. They fought in every major battle of the Civil War. New recruits were trained in Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Racine, and Madison. Camp Randall, Wisconsin's major training facility in Madison, also housed Confederate prisoners of war.

Well, it wasn’t exactly outlawed. Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation which most people thought it ended slavery, but really it didn’t end slavery.

Throughout the Civil War, at least 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers devoted their lives to the war. This made up 2% of the population in the United States pre-antebellum era.

Although fighting in the war was tough and life-changing, soldiers had to stay strong and not back out. If soldiers did escape from the war, in the mission of running home, they would be seen as a coward. Men would get branded with a “C” on their cheek to show that they were a coward. When they were sent home after, everyone in their town would know that they were weak during the war.

Soldiers had to wear uniforms in the war. This included boots, trousers, shirts, and big wool coats. When fighting in these uniforms every day under the sun, the soldiers would get hot, sweaty, and easily tired. The men were more than thankful when given a chilly day!

Unfortunately, many of the Wisconsin men who fought against the South did not return. More than 12,000 died. Many died from disease, exposure, and other causes. Wisconsin soldiers also spent time in many of the more infamous Southern military prisons.

After the war, the northern and southern states had become less and less alike--socially, economically, politically. The North had become increasingly industrial and commercial while the South had remained largely agricultural.

Most of the fighting men in the Civil War were neither professional soldiers or draftees, they were volunteers. Men wanted to fight for their country and their story should be remembered.