Hospitals in the Civil war were’t any better than the conditions in camp. Many times the most common procedure was amputation. Surgeons used no antiseptics and operated right on the battlefield! Doctors had no idea of the importance of cleanliness and often didn't’t clean their tools between patients! If you could survive the "operation" you would probably die of infection! You can understand why many men would rather be treated by their friends in camp than by the doctors in the hospitals. Union and Confederate troops lived in appalling conditions. Both armies lived in filthy camps. Disease and filth was all over camps. It was said that for every man that died in battle, 3 died from disease! Illness struck because of cold, exposure and lack of good food. Lice infested camp. The North had a few organizations, such as The Soldiers Aid Society and The Red Cross, but these organizations gave little comfort to soldiers. Life was miserable.