Elisha Hunt Rhodes’s first impressions of the army History Essay (Essay Sample)

American History
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Institutional Affiliation
Elisha Hunt Rhodes’s first impressions of the army
During the American civil war, the army needed large numbers of patriotic men to fight the rebels and restore peace. One of the people who volunteered for the service was Elisha Hunt Rhodes. He enlisted as one of the recruits of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry after his mother granted him permission. This essay discusses Elisha’s first impressions of the army, daily routine of military life and camp surroundings, men who served alongside him and views about his soldier life
Rhodes’s first impressions of the army
The twenty-year-old Rhodes had several first impressions when he joined the army. The first one was that of soldiers sleeping on the ground and making beds from simple materials that are readily available in the immediate surroundings. The soldier says that his bed was made up of pine boughs and it was better as compared to that of feathers (Rable & George, 2018). The second one was that of the following orders. Elisha and some of his comrades-in-arms were anxious to move at some point. However, they had to wait for orders from above in order to move, fight, rest, and do other important activities. In addition, he discovered that those who were disciplined were the ones who rose from the ranks. All men were expected to respect those in command and this is evident when soldiers saluted when President Lincoln visited their camp. Soldiers were also expected to do their respective tasks as ordered by the individuals in command.