The American Civil War was the war of all great wars. The war's victims included men, women and children, whites and African Americans. Men and boys from the southern states volunteered or were drafted into the army. Many soldiers thought they would fight for the Southern nation and its rights. Soldiers on both sides and civilians near the battles and war suffered hardship. Sam Watkins was a senior soldier during the war and about twenty years later wrote his memoirs. Remembering what he could, Sam Watkins allowed readers to imagine what war was like for the common soldier. Although the Confederate Army won some battles, it was outnumbered, undersupplied, and outmaneuvered by the military tactics used by the Union Army. However, these seem minor compared to the hardships endured by soldiers and civilians. These hardships were starvation, food filled with maggots, and having to drink dirty water. Soldiers had to wear thick woolen clothing during the summer months, their feet cut, swollen and blistered from lack of boots, and frozen in winter from the cold. The tents were leaking or there was no shelter. Civilians and soldiers suffered separation from families, loss of friends and family, and loss of property. Soldiers suffered from illnesses such as dysentery, fever, wound infections, and viral infections like meningitis, limited medical care, lack of sleep, and mental and emotional stress from combat fatigue. His work was “first serialized in his hometown newspaper, the Columbia Herald.” .” (Inge, Intro) In an excerpt from the Columbia Herald, his memoirs were examined: "The generals, the president and... middle of paper... that the general who resigned because another general was placed under his command over him. (Watkins, 173) The American Civil War was the bloodiest in history to date. This war turned the lives of soldiers and civilians into a tragedy. The hardships for soldiers and civilians were harsh and sometimes unnecessary. They were physical and emotional and took their toll throughout the war. The hardships were starvation and hunger, poor medical care, illness, the elements of summer and winter, loss of friends and family, loss of possessions and the memories that would haunt them in their dreams until the end. Work cited Watkins, S. 1999. Compagnie Aytch, or A side show of the Grand Spectacle: edited by Mr. Thomas Inge. (Originally published: Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, 1882). New York, New York. Penguin Putnam Inc..