Civil War Project
Newton Fetty
Fisher Jr/Sr Highschool
Jessica
Table of Contents
Life before war
Soldiers life in war
Reasons for Fetty and other soldiers to join the union
Origin of Company F
Entertainment in the Camp
Food Sources in the Union
Life after War
Life before the War
Newton Fetty had a regular life as a younger man. He was a farmer like most others were during the 1860s. He worked very hard as a farmer, yet he wanted to become a hero like most boys wanted to be when they grow up. Therefore, he enlisted in the union on August 9, 1862.
(Information found at the Urbana Free Library in Fetty's personal file.)
Soldiers Life in War.
It was not an easy job for Newton Fetty to go off in war. American Civil War was a time of turmoil in our nation, from 1861-1865. During this period loved ones were separated or parted and thousands suffered and died. Through their trials, they accomplished great deeds. For some, their lives would end before they could complete their dreams.
Reasons for Fetty and Other Soldiers to Join the Union.
Most soldiers like Newton Fetty wanted to become a country hero. Newton Fetty and other soldiers joined the union for different reasons.
1.) Fear of looking like a coward in front of wife or sweetheart.
2.) Fear of looking like a coward in front of father or brothers or male friends.
3.) Did not want to miss out on the fun before it ended.
(Found at
www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/1163/back.html)Origin of Company F
Newton Fetty was in the 125th Illinois Infantry. He was in company F, which was originated in Champaign County. The one Hundred and twenty-fifth Infantry was formed of good war material, mainly drawn from the rural precincts of Vermilion and Champaign counties, with a sprinkling of mechanics, professional and laboring men and clerks from the towns, practically all the men that could read or write, so that the war and its possible requirements were well comprehended by them before enlistment. In this company they were mustered in September 3, 1862, and mustered out in June 9, 1865. There were a total of 86 men from Champaign County that served in Company F.
Entertainment in the Camp.
This was the soldier's best time in war, which was the entertainment. They would entertain themselves by writing letters to their wives or loved ones, or by writing in a diary. If they did not write they would read what items, they could find like newspapers, cheap novels, or bibles. Another activity they like to do together was to sing, while someone played their banjo, fiddle, or guitar.
The rest of the time they took their fun where they could find it. They would play a lot of the same things we do, like baseball or bowling. Above everything else, they made friends, the kind that last forever, as they spent their youth and risked their lives on the battlefields.
(Information on Entertainment at
www.civilwarhome.com/enertainment.htm. Author: William C. Davis)Food Sources in the Union
Some foods were hard to get during the Civil War like ham, bacon, fresh beef, and salt beef. Each Union received the following to eat during the Civil War: Saltpork, fresh beef, salt beef, soft and hard bread, potatoes, an occasional onion, flour, beans, split peas, rice, dried fruit and vegetables, coffee, tea, sugar, molasses, vinegar, pepper, and salt. Water and flower biscuits, beef roasted, coffee, rice, and hardtack were easy foods to get during the civil war. At the beginning of war, the soldiers tried to pick the worms out of the hardtack. Later in the war, they just ate the biscuits-vermin and all.
Fetty's Life after War.
When Fetty was mustered out in June 9, 1862, he went back to his original life as a farmer. Later, he met Harriet E. Lester. They were both born in Ohio. He married her in September 24, 1878, when she was 41 years old and he was 46 years old. They had two kids together. On March 14, 1878, they had two twin girls. Then, in 1886 Fetty was married to Mrs. Nancy Ritcheson Peat on October 28, 1886. They were divorced in September of 1892. Then his third and final marriage was to Mrs. Debithe White on April 14 1894. He was 61 years old and she was 59 years old. He stayed a farmer the rest of his life until his death.
(Information on his life after war found in: Urbana Free Library family tree files.)