You’re digging through your local library’s archives trying to find out if your cousin
was right and your great great great uncle really was a duke of the lost kingdom of Namek,
when you stumble across a dusty box full of old letters.
You start to read and find that it’s a series of correspondences between two brothers from
the year 1861 describing what life was like during the Civil War.
Who cares about great uncle whoever, this is way more interesting!
What follows is a recreation of what this conversation may have been like.
[Narrator Note: Try to read this in a slightly “old fashioned” voice but don’t go over
the top] Dear Brother South, as I write this letter the war rages on.
I don’t know how we got to this point.
Brother against brother, father against son.
In our last correspondence we decided to keep each other updated on the daily happenings
in our part of the country.
Here in the North times are hard, but we are surviving.
The Civil War has torn this nation in two and I feel as if you are in an entirely different
country down there in the South.
I just hope that the war ends soon, so that life can go back to normal, and we can see
eachother again.
As I am sure you remember this Civil War started when South Carolina seceded from the Union
last December in 1860.
Then a year later, in April 1861, Virginia followed South Carolina and seceded from the
North.
This was caused by the firing on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln calling for 75,000 troops
to take back the fort, and disband the South Carolina Militia.
I don’t have to remind you what happened next, as we are both living through the consequences
right now.
Up here in the North this war has divided the community.
I’m sure it is the same in your part of the country.
People have to choose a side based on their beliefs.
Not everyone agrees on the issues of the war.
Just yesterday I got in an argument with my neighbor about the actions of the South.
He claimed they had a right to secede from the ways of the North.
I disagreed.
We got into an argument and punches were thrown.
Sadly, this is not at all uncommon in this day and age.
Regardless of where you live, differences of opinion always creep up and seem to lead
to fisticuffs more often than not.
On the other side of my farm is a family who considers themselves pacifists.
They state their religious beliefs forbid them from taking sides, but instead, dictate
they should be kind to one another and allow for God to judge what is just.
I find myself turning to religion more and more during this time.
The church congregation grows as we all look for answers on how to end this Civil War,
and return the country to some sort of normalcy.
Please write back soon with updates about how you and your family are managing in these
trying times.
I eagerly await to hear about life in the South.
[Narrator Note: Try to read this with a slight southern accent, it can be a little funny
but not over the top] Dear Brother North, I appreciated your letter and updates from
your life in the upper states.
Things here are similar to how you described them in the North.
Communities are torn and not everyone agrees with the secession of this part of the country.
But our way of life was threatened.
Many families support the government in the South, because they do not want their way
of life to change.
Battles spontaneously breaking out between the armies is common down here in the South,
as I am sure happens up in the North on occasion.
It seems that we need to be ready for anything at all times.
I have not joined the Confederate Army due to my old age and injured leg, but it is very
difficult to carry out daily business with skirmishes happening on our farm land, and
we are far from the only ones whose homelands have become battlegrounds.
My neighbors and people all around the country have to flee for their lives, as the two armies
clash in cities, villages, and farms.
It is a dangerous time to be a civilian.
As in the North, all of our resources are going to fund the war.
The food we grow on the farm gets collected and shipped out to soldiers on the front line.
The wool we sheer gets made into uniforms and sent to our soldiers across the country.
The government says we will get paid for our goods, but I don’t see that happening any
time soon.
The government seems to believe we are not as important as the War.
I wonder if you are running into the same struggles in the North.
I am eager to hear back from you with updates on how the rest of your family is coping.
Please write soon.
Dear Brother South, just as the citizens of the South are struggling, the same can be
said of average citizens in the North.
Our food and goods go directly to the war effort.
Just as you said, the government claims they will provide restitution, but we have yet
to see a penny.
I will say that industrial factories and large business concerns seem to be doing well.
Since they are larger entities and vital to the war effort, the government wants to keep
them happy and continually producing supplies.
One of my friends in town who owns a textile mill is working all the time and making good
money too.
Though he complains to me that the price of commodities has gone sky high.
I too can barely afford necessities such as food we don’t grow on the farm or candle
wax.
The military may be stocked with supplies, but the average person can’t afford basic
goods anymore.
Furthermore, as you discussed in your last letter the Civil War is damaging property
all around the country.
It is not just the military’s forts and assets that are being affected, but average
citizens’ homes and places of business.
Just the other day our granary was destroyed by a rogue cannonball from the battle across
the river.
And as the army retreats they destroy any valuable assets or buildings that might be
beneficial for the other side.
This includes mills and factories, as well as, food storage facilities.
We are starving and the army is destroying extra food stores to prevent the opposing
forces from having access to them.
Just give the food to the average citizen, this is lunacy!
Not only are we suffering from battles and destruction of property, but both Norther
and Southern governments are taking our horses and cattle.
The horses are used for the cavalry and by officers.
The cattle are used to hull heavy cannons and equipment.
But where does that leave us?
We no longer have any draft animals, which makes farming and traveling so much harder.
I can only imagine how things are in the South.
From what I hear, there are more battles being fought down there and that must mean more
loss of property.
Please let me know how your wife and daughters are faring.
Stay safe.
Dear Brother North, the average citizen is most definitely being harmed by property loss
and damages here in the South.
We understand there is a war going on, but the disregard for people's property and lives
by the government and the armies is appalling.
All of my sons have been enlisted in the army and my wife and daughters have now taken over
all of the responsibilities of the household and workplace.
My wife manages the farm, handling the business transactions and distribution of our crops
to buyers.
My daughters are out in the field everyday harvesting crops and performing the labor
that was normally reserved for my sons.
The female citizens during this time have much more responsibility.
It is disconcerting to me that they still have no right to vote, even though they are
helping keep our way of life together.
I know that in the North this is also the case.
After this is all over the average citizen's life will have to change.
Everyone should have the right to vote regardless of gender.
Hopefully someday we will get there.
It is extremely common for average citizens to be uprooted and to have to relocate because
of battles occurring on their land.
Just the other day our neighbors had to pack everything they could carry into a wagon and
move out west to try and start over.
This isn’t the first family I have known to do this, and I am sure it won’t be the
last.
Every time there is a battle it is the average citizen who loses their land and their house.
We are still able to farm and survive on our land, but who knows how long that will last.
Without the females in the family there would be no way to carry on.
They have taken over almost every responsibility outside of fighting in the army.
Life is extremely difficult right now in the South and I know in the North things are starting
to look more promising.
I look forward to your next letter.
Hopefully you have some good news.
Dear Brother South, it has happened.
I know you wanted good news, but it is in short supply during a Civil War.
Like so many other families we have lost a family member to the war.
One of my sons was fighting in the South and was killed in battle.
It is terrible news for anyone to receive, but it is all too common these days.
Every family has been touched negatively by the war in some way.
We have lost a son, others have lost fathers, brothers, or husbands.
Loss is all too common.
I have heard that one in five men who fight for the South have died in battle.
I pray for your family every night before bed, in hopes you do not lose anyone.
But I know the reality of living during this time is that we will all likely lose someone
we care about.
Here in the North we try to stay busy at night to keep our minds off the war.
We tell stories about past adventures and tales of the Wild West.
Sometimes we don’t have wood for the fireplace, so we have to burn anything we can find.
We have already lost a table and some chairs to the fire that keeps us warm at night.
The winters have been brutal, so we have to find ways to keep the house heated.
I have taken out my old banjo to play and sing songs to the family.
It helps keep our minds off of the hardships during this Civil War.
I just hope that things get better soon.
I really would hate to have to throw my instrument into the fire as kindling.
I hope the weather in the south is warmer.
Give my love to the family.
Dear Brother North, we are all grief stricken over the loss of your son.
I know words are meaningless in times like this, but I am sorry.
The nights are still warm in the South, but we will have frost soon.
I too have taken to music again, playing the fiddle and singing along with the family to
keep busy.
We also pick up a newspaper whenever a new issue is printed.
It is a way to find out what is happening across this divided country, and sometimes
there are stories of things outside the war, which is nice.
It is amazing how the use of pictures in newspapers has changed everything.
The newspapers report on the events of a battle and the pictures allow us to see images from
the battlefield.
It is frightening to think that in one of those photographs I might see someone I know.
This Civil War is a terrible time.
It is a dangerous time to be a soldier and a tumultuous time to be an average citizen.
We never know what will happen from day to day.
Resources are going to the war effort with no remuneration paid to the average citizens
who are providing them.
Battles can destroy your entire home at any time.
Necessities are too expensive for the average person to buy.
It seems it is difficult to get by in the South and in the North.
Sometimes during war the average person gets forgotten and left behind.
Stay safe and I will see you on the other side.
We hope that this re-enactment gave you a unique perspective into the life of an average
citizen during the Civil War.
Here at the Infographics Show we know that life during tumultuous times can be unsure
and a bit scary.
That’s why it is important to understand past events, and perspectives, to learn and
be better prepared for the future.
If you want to learn more about what life might have been like for people in the past
check out our video Why Life During The Dark Ages Sucked.
Or if you want to see a more current perspective watch our video What It Is REALLY Like Living
In North Korea?
Either way, learning about the lives of others is a great way to be prepared for what the
future may hold.
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!