01666 - Tent life of 31st Penn. Inf.; at Queen's farm, vicinity of Fort Slocum, D.C. [LC-DIG-cwpb-01666]
After the first battle of Bull Run (1st Manassas) in 1861, both armies went into a period of rebuilding. For the North, this was an opportunity to build up fortifications (such as Fort Slocum) to defend from possible attack on Washington.
The 31st Penn. Infantry (later the 82nd Penn Infantry) was one of the units encamped for months on end at the start of the war. For many on both sides, this slow period brought a longing for the family they left at home.
Few were thinking that they would need to make provisions for more than a few months, or how they would transport family and belongings if ordered into battle. Accounts of the day indicate that many wives and family did accompany their husbands throughout the war.