In terms of the war, the winter months are spent rather quietly. Harsh weather allows but few troop movements. Generals spend their time training troops and planning strategies, while soldiers’ main concern is to stay warm and fed. Boredom is not uncommon in the camps, and many turn to recreation – cards and other games…
In these early months of 1862, Confederate soldiers and other observers of Confederate army camp life (including chaplains, missionaries and local citizens) routinely write letters for publication in Southern Baptist news publications. There is typically a lag time of one to three weeks (or more) between the writing of the letters and publication in newspapers.…
An anonymous North Carolina Confederate soldier, stationed in that state’s Camp Gatlin, writes to a Baptist newspaper, under the pen name of “Khan,” of his experience in camp this winter (such pseudonymous correspondence directed to public consumption is not uncommon during the war). Acknowledging that he and his fellow soldiers “are accused of forgetting the…