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We think of war as a time of action. But Civil War troops also spent a good deal of time in camp, either training or waiting to fight. With the future unknown and being far from home caused the thoughts of many soldiers to turn to their families and loved ones. This touching print shows a Union soldier wishing to be safely home with his wife and children. The picture, by Phelps and Watson, Beekman Street, New York City, makes the soldier and camp seem neater and cleaner than they really were. It was made perhaps to give a nicer picture compared to the photographs of Matthew Brady and others, which showed the more realistic horrors of war.

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"A Soldier's Dream"

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