Civil War Soldiers Bet Their Whole Pay on This

On the morning of a battle, Civil War soldiers dropped their cards and dice into the ditch by the road. Why did so many of them gamble in the first place, what did they actually play, and why did they throw it all away before the fighting started? Camp life was mostly waiting. Pay came every few months, there was almost nothing to spend it on, and men who faced death every day were not afraid of losing a few dollars. Poker, chuck-a-luck, faro, raffles, horse races, and even races between lice on a tin plate. This is the story of the blanket behind the tents: what it cost the families at home, why chaplains and officers fought it, and what the cards in the ditch really meant. 0:00 The cards in the ditch 0:44 The game behind the tents 1:40 Part 1: Waiting 2:34 Payday 4:08 Part 2: The games 4:40 Chuck-a-luck and faro 5:23 Louse races 6:51 Part 3: The cost 8:40 The revival winter 9:05 Why they threw the cards away 10:11 Epilogue: One picture 11:12 After the battle Sources to check: Bell I. Wiley, The Life of Billy Yank (1952) and The Life of Johnny Reb (1943); James I. Robertson Jr., Soldiers Blue and Gray (1988); US and Confederate army pay acts (1861-1864); the Union allotment system (Act of July 22, 1861); American Card Company "Union Playing Cards" (1862); J. William Jones, Christ in the Camp (1887). Music: "Gymnopedie No. 2" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Past Sadness" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Clean Soul" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Rains Will Fall" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... "Promises to Keep" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Narration: AI voice. Illustrations: made by the channel. #CivilWar #CivilWarHistory #SoldierStories