Diary of Private Charles H. Lynch: April 30, 1864

At Bunker Hill. Only doing picket duty and resting. Weather cloudy. Liable to march at any minute. All is quiet and nothing important has taken place up to this time. Camp made up with our shelter tents.

SOURCE: Charles H. Lynch, The Civil War Diary, 1862-1865, of Charles H. Lynch 18th Conn. Vol's, p. 56

Diary of Private Charles H. Lynch: April 28, 1864

Martinsburg, West Virginia. Up early this morning, waiting for the regiment which soon came marching into town, having camped for the night about five miles out of town. Weather fine. Ordered to camp out on the Williamsport Pike, north side. Just got camp located, tents up, orders came to strike tents, turn them over to the Quartermaster's Department, and in place to receive shelter tents, also known as pup tents by the soldiers. Ordered to be ready to march early on the morrow. We are in for business now. Weather fine tonight.

SOURCE: Charles H. Lynch, The Civil War Diary, 1862-1865, of Charles H. Lynch 18th Conn. Vol's, p. 55

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, November 10, 1862

We have plenty of water at this camp, but are on short rations, having nothing but “gruel” and sweet potatoes to eat. What the boys call gruel is made from flour and corn meal. The quartermaster issued some flour and meal today, each man drawing his portion and cooking it to suit his taste. The usual method of preparing it is to make a dough and then bake it in the hot ashes or in the frying pan. Some of the new regiments from the North are equipped with shelter tents, each man carrying his part of the tent on his knapsack. The boys have nicknamed the new tents "dog tents." ¹

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¹ Our boys were inclined to ridicule the idea of a man having to carry his tent on his back, and gave them the nickname “dog tent.”  But at that very time some of the boys would have been glad for a chance to carry as good tents, for when we were out on the march our tents had to be left in camp or else put in storage, and we would have to bivouac without any protection. — A. G. D.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 81-2