Sports+during+the+Civil+War

=Sports during the Civil War=

an HMS American Cultures collaborative production
In the Civil War, soldiers sometimes got breaks. During those breaks, they play many different sports and card games to keep themselves occupied while they awaited orders. Some of these games include: Faro, High/Low, Checkers (Which all of us know how to play), but Baseball (Which was played a little differently) was the main game that they played. formal, or "pick up" games, of "townball," "goalball," "baste ball" and other bat and ball sports that were derived from the English sports of rounders and cricket. As Cartwright saw it, his version of baseball had strict rules of behavior for players and was considered to be a "gentleman's" sport. At first, the only spectators to attend baseball games were invited guests of the competing teams. Ladies were seated under tents, and tea, crackers and other refreshments were served. The new rules established that the goal of the conflict was to hit the ball; therefore, the pitcher was to throw the ball where the batter instructed. Bunting was considered poor form and players who were caught off base were supposed to politely allow themselves to be tagged out. Fines were levied against players who disobeyed their captains, argued with the umpires or used profanity. After the game, the home team treated the visiting team to an elaborate dinner, and during the off seasons, wives and girlfriends were invited to social events sponsored by the teams. In Cartwright's world of baseball, only amateurs and members of the upper classes were allowed to play. On July 2, 1861, the Washington Nationals baseball club was defeated by a team from the 71st New York Regiment in the "President's Backyard" (the Ellipse) by a score of 41 to 13. When the 71st New York returned to the Defenses of Washington in 1862, the teams played a rematch, which the Nationals won 28 to 13, mainly because some of the 71st's best athletes had been killed at Bull Run only weeks after their first game. Today's Little Leaguers would recognize the game of baseball as played by Civil War soldiers, but they would look to their coaches and the umpires to clarify some unfamiliar terms. Baseball words and phrases used to describe plays and positions have evolved over the years, and equipment and uniforms also have seen changes. The name of the game itself varied from community to community - some teams played "round ball," while others played "town ball," "goal ball," "baste ball," "old cat," and "barn ball." Early versions of the sport required the pitcher to throw underhanded. Outfielders or "scouts" did not use gloves and the baseball itself was softer. Batters were called "strikers" who eagerly wished to hit "aces" or home runs. Outs were called "hands out." A pitcher stood on the "pitcher's point" and threw toward the "striker's point" where the striker (or batter) stood poised above the "plate" or what is now referred to as home plate. The plate itself was a white iron disk, tin plate turned upside down, or whatever could be found as a substitute. Fielders could retire batters by either catching the ball in the air or on one bounce. The more controversial practice of actually aiming the ball at runners to get them out was eventually banned. Team members were identified by badges or ribbon worn on their shirts or uniform jackets. A plan by baseball promoter Albert Spaulding to have each member of the team wear a different color or pattern to indicate which position he played was dropped when players objected to looking like a flock of colorful birds.
 * __Faro:__** Faro, sometimes spelled pharo, pharaon or pharaoh, was a card game invented by the French, who took it fro[[image:Faro.jpg width="212" height="221" align="right"]]m the Venetian game of basetta. French card players called the game Pharaoh because one of the honored cards bore the face of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Thanks to a Scotsman named John Law, it was taken to the United States via New Orleans and slowly moved up the river on the Mississippi steamboats, then spread across the country. Faro is very simple to play, there were 2 reasons why the game became so popular. 1st, it held a slight house advantage, less than 2%, and the game was played at such a fast pace-2 hands per minute-that it was the ideal game for impatient gamblers looking for fast action. That is why it was so popular during the civil war; it was a fast game that everyone could play. Faro is a game you can set up and learn on your kitchen table in less than 2 minutes. With the 1st deck we'll use just13 cards for your spread or layout. The other pack of cards is for the game itself. Using one complete suit (layouts generally used spades), running from ace to king, lay them face up. This is your game layout. As the bettor, "back a card" (place your bet) on any rank (card) by putting a chip on it. With the other deck shuffled, deal the top 2 cards (dealers in the past dealt from a box, a bit like today's shoe). If you backed the 1st card dealt you lose. Place a bet on the 2nd card, you win. If you have a bet on any of the other cards, they can be withdrawn or left standing for the next turn. The house got it's its advantage when a pair was dealt. The bank would take 1/2 the money that had been staked on the paired cards. Faro's demise came about because of a number of factors but 2 stand out. The opportunity for a dealer to cheat was greater than in any other card game, also faro had a low house edge.
 * __High/Low__**: This is an interesting and very simple tournament type dice game. This often involved gambling. First you would roll the dice and see what you get. Let’s say you got a 5 and a 3 so your total is 8. Then you would bet. They didn’t have a lot of money on their person and usually the most effective way of getting money is to find it on the path while you were marching. Let’s say you bet 1 penny. You then guess if the next roll is going to be higher or lower then the previous one. You repeat this and see how many you could get in a row. The one with the most wins when their done playing would get what they bet and under from everyone who was playing. So if we bet 1 penny and won everyone else who bet a penny would give you a penny. The only thing is that you had to show that you had the money before you bet, so you couldn’t say that you bet 10 pennies but only had 5. Usually the average amount of times someone kept guessing it right was 10-15. On most occasions, if you got more than this, you would most likely win.
 * **__Baseball:__** To play this new type of game called Baseball they formalize the in

“Civil War Baseball” __Battling on the Diamond__ May 21, 2009<[]> “High/Low Dice Game: __High/Low Dice Game__ May 20, 2009<[]> “The Card Game of Faro” __The Most Popular Card Game of the Old West__ May 19, 2009<[]>
 * Bibliographies:**

“The Soldiers’ Respite Story” __The Soldiers’ Respite__ May 18, 2009
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