Privies | Alcoholism | Living Conditions | Social Diseases
Separate privies existed for the sexes and for officers. The officers
and women had toilet seats. The men did not. Sanitation in the army was a serious problem.
In many barracks, sanitation was a bucket placed at the back of a room as a toilet. These
"urine tubs" were primarily
used at night and during wet weather. These tubs were responsible for the oppressive smell
encountered when entering the barracks.
The cleaning of the men's privies was usually done by "fatigue parties" — soldiers undergoing punishment for crimes they had committed. It involved washing and scrubbing of the seats and floors every morning.
Cleaning of the women's privies was not an assigned duty for
soldiers' wives. The job was a paying one and it was contracted out by the regiment. The
wives had the right of first refusal, whereupon a civilian would be employed.
Water to flush the privies was collected from grates on the parade square. The water was held behind a sluice gate that could be opened to flush the waste through a two-foot square drainage tunnel into the bay.