Civil War Basic Training for Rebel Conscripts ?

[East Tennessee Roots]

Can anyone give me some idea of how much if any training a Confederate conscript would have received late in the war ( Feb. 64 ? ) My great-great-grandfather was I'm sure a conscript going by his age ( 36-37 ) had 7 children at home and a few acres of farmland. That would probably have kept him out for awhile I would think. A 1st cousin of his was a Lt.Col in the NC. militia/ rail/ and home-guard in Wilkes County. Part of his duty was rounding up conscripts and getting them where they needed to go. He may have have cut him some slack as long as he could ? Great-great grandpa enrolled at Camp Vance, Morganton, NC. Feb.14,1864 It was a " training camp for conscripts. Stoneman's Cavalry burnt the place down shortly after. He must have made a pretty good soldier. Made corporal in November. Captured April 2, 18865 " On the South Side R.R. " held at Harts Island NY till mid-June 1865. Would I be safe in assuming he probably got to Virginia bout the same time as U.S. Grant if not some time before ( May 64 ? )

 

[tmh10]

To be an effective soldier in the Civil War, a man needed to know much more than how to drill on the parade ground and how to fire his musket. It was mostly the hard school of experience that turned a green recruit fresh from his country home into a lean, weatherbeaten soldier who was able to march all night and fight all day on scant rations. Many volunteers did not survive long enough to make the transition. Adaptation to army discipline and regimentation was one of the first trials of the new soldier. The idea of showing respect to and obeying the orders of a higher-ranking soldier irrespective of that person's prewar social standing, family, or wealth required a major psychological adjustment for many men.

Providing for physical needs posed severe difficulties in Civil War armies. Soldiers had to learn how to properly cook the rations that were issued to them and how to forage for supplemental food. They learned what they could do to help prevent scurvy, typhus and other camp diseases.

Bad water and poor sanitation caused the death of many soldiers. Survivors learned the value of proper sewage disposal and the necessity of clean drinking water. They learned how to build shelters to protect themselves from the elements and how to make repeated all-day marches and they also learned the necessity of maintaining their clothes, shoes and weapon.

http://www.wtv-zone.com/civilwar/soldier.html