Money
Money for the soldiers in the war was very little. A common Private's pay in the begining of the war was about $6.67. As the war progressed, the pay got less and less. Without this money, food, clothing, and supplies weren't easy to get. Generals couldn't buy supplies for their men wihtout the money, and living became harder and harder as the money amount became less and less. The soldiers eventually began paying for many things with meaningless pieces of paper with the amount on it, which would never be worth anything if the Americans didn't win the war (which thankfully they did).
Clothing
The clothing for the soldiers was not very good. Their uniforms were easily worn, and their shoes were not made of proper material for long marches and walks. The uniforms were made for relatively warm weather, so when cold temperatures or rain came upon the soldiers, there was nothing to be done about it but to keep going and think warm thoughts. The soldiers' garments were soiled and were not easily replaced. There was hardly any extra fabric for new uniforms and no money to make or buy shoes. Their uniforms were ripped, torn, stained, bloodied, and often smelled bad.
Food and Cooking
Most of the food that was prepared for the soldiers was often very tastless or tasted bad, and was salvaged from small amounts. The common meal for a group of soldiers was a pound of beef and flour mixed with water. This mixture was called Hardtack, and it was a hard, tastless, and generally disliked substitution for bread. There was also a dish that was called a firecake, and it was a pasty dough mixture made from flour that was tossed straight into the fire. The dough was charred and ashy on the outside, and was not cooked on the inside (and was also disliked). Pork and beef was scarce, and when one cooked it it was boiled. There were very few fresh fruits and vegetables. When soups were made they helped forget about the other foods a little, but they were also generally disliked. Just a fresh baked loaf of bread was considered a huge luxury among the soldiers.
Slaughter houses were located one mile from camp so that the smell and grotesque scene could be tolerated. The slaughter houses were used for cutting the meat for soldiers. In the slaughter houses, nothing was wasted from the animal. Any meat that could be eaten was, the fat was made into soup, hooves were used for oil, hides were made into leather, and horns were used for powder horns.
Slaughter houses were located one mile from camp so that the smell and grotesque scene could be tolerated. The slaughter houses were used for cutting the meat for soldiers. In the slaughter houses, nothing was wasted from the animal. Any meat that could be eaten was, the fat was made into soup, hooves were used for oil, hides were made into leather, and horns were used for powder horns.
Entertainment
There was very little entertainment in the camps, but the soldiers did what they could to pass the time. There were things to do for entertainment such as using drums and fifes for music, reading books, writing to their families, playing ball, fishing, playing backgammon and darts, adn even theatrical performances withing the camps. Gambling was strictly prohibited within the camps. The soldiers often smoked pipes while passing the time.
Housing
The soldiers made their own huts. Their huts were made out of wood (mostly chestnut, oak, and walnut), and the rooves were made out of boards or straw. Officer and soldier houses were very different. A typical Officer Hut was unique and larger than a common soldier hut, and was only allowed to house up to four officers despite its larger size. Soldier huts were all the same and smaller than the hut of an officer. The soldier huts housed from six to twelve men in them. Beds in the huts were elevated to keep clean and to avoid being ruined if the hut was flooded. Ventilation problems caused many issues to occur within the soldiers' huts. The air was hard to breathe in, and they had to use smoke to purify it. Some men also lived in tents. The tents housed up to six men.
Disease
Disease was a huge problem and killer within the camps. The sterilization techniques were very little and quite unexperienced. Prevention of the diseases was hard to pursue with the only knowledge of them being based completely on observations, and with such little knowledge of the body. Most of the diseases were known to have a symptom of a fever. The only hospitals near the camp had very little staff (about 4 surgeons), and were very unsanitary.
Religion
Religion in the camps was a very big thing. It usually helped forget about the lack of food and clothing for a little while. Most soldiers were Christians, and they all went to church on Sundays at 11 AM when they could. Going to church and having faith in God gave the soldiers a lot of hope and courage of winning the war.