The practice of towns and villages putting together companies to send to the War meant that if a company was wiped out, then the town’s young men were gone, too.

It wasn't just the men. Especially among the poorer soldiers, it was the practice at that time to take their whole families along. So you had wives and children in the camp along with the soldiers.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Rare-Civil-War-Photos/ss/events/us/041211civilwarphotos