A lot of the books, shows, etc always paint the confederates in a good way or try to push the "lost cause" myth. I'm trying to write a novel about the civil war (fiction) and I want to learn about Union soldier's way of life. Camp life, battlefield life, the struggles, the jobs. Why battles happened/why certain strategies were made. I don't want to hear any more defending of the south or praising of Lee. I don't know if I'm sounding dumb or not, but I'm fairly young and the only education I got on this subject was a 3-week course in 8th grade, thanks.