Civil War & Reconstruction
Civil War
Second Union Occupation
Soldier Recreation
Soldier Recreation
Soldier recreation in the 1863 Stafford winter was largely limited to physical activities, including snowball fights and baseball. More cerebral pursuits included small group singing (depressingly sentimental songs, like this one, were often forbidden). Reading Bible and Biblical “Tracts,” amply supplied by U. S. Christian Commission delegates and workers, was another diversion. Books, newspapers, letters and food boxes from home were important morale builders. Camp vices, mainly drinking and gambling, were also available distractions.
