Shelter

Civil War shelters were simple, crude structures. Each Union soldier was issued a 5ft. by 5ft. sheet of canvas. Soldiers would make their ten by streching two lengths of canvas over a wooden frame made of branches. Two men slept in the same tent.

Somtimes though, larger tents called sibling tents were used. These tents could fit up to five men. Sibling tents however, were big and hard to carry so they were mostly used just in the first part of the war.

Building a shelter for the winter had to keep you warm, and keep out the snow. Many times men made a big square, using logs. Then they would streach their canvas over the top. Some huts were crude, simple homes, but some were complete with tables and chairs. Many times men added a stove with a chimmney made of mud and rocks. Four men lived in one of these huts, two to a bunk. Soldiers rarley moved out of their winter quarters and wouldn’t abandon their homes untill the snow started to melt.