"That Indispensable Civil War Coffee!" Topic

Interesting article here.

cfcwrt.com/thismonth9.html

Two questions about it:

1. Why the Union didn't import coffee from South America or Africa?

2. Being a ex-British colony, what about taking tea among the soldiers instead of cofee?. Nobody like tea?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand

> 2. Being a ex-British colony, what about taking tea among the soldiers instead of cofee?. Nobody like tea?

Except for a precious few loonies nobody liked tea. Tea was replaced as the American drink during the revolutionary war (as a form of protest), by this time it would have been a patriotic thing to drink coffee.

1. Why the Union didn't import coffee from South America or Africa?

Since most of South America and Africa were under French/British control and these two countries were very close to recognizing the Confederacy, I think that may have had something to do with it.

2. Being a ex-British colony, what about taking tea among the soldiers instead of cofee?. Nobody like tea?

Tea wasn't available in the field as commonly and then came in "blocks". Think of the solid block bakers chocolate that you get nowadays. Coffee is and has been a soldiers drink. It keeps you awake at night…warm on a cold day, and helps wake you up in the morning. And it just smells a lot better when it's cooking up.

btw..my lady (gawd bless her!) has actually made "Essence of Coffee". It's STRONG…very strong..a small dollop of it in a mucket of hot water will make a powerful cup of coffee. It's an almost tar-like substance.

Speaking of which, who else enjoys chicory coffee?

Tea was very much a part of the US Army's ration table and was issued on a regular basis, if not as often as the coffee ration.

FWIW here is the table of rations from the US Army regulations (revised 1863):

In camp or garrison, a Union soldier is entitled to receive daily 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. 4 oz of fresh or salt beef; 1 lb. 6 oz of soft bread or flour, 1 lb. of hard bread, or 1 lb. 4 oz of cornmeal. Per every 100 rations there is issued 1 peck of beans or peas; 10 lb. of rice or hominy; 10 lb. of green coffee, 8 lb. of roasted and ground coffee, or 1 lb. 8 oz of tea; 15 lb. of sugar; 1 lb. 4 oz of candles, 4 lb. of soap; 1 qt of molasses.

In addition to or as substitutes for other items, desiccated vegetables, dried fruit, pickles, or pickled cabbage might be issued.

On campaign, the rations were reduced to the meat, hard bread, coffee or tea sugar, salt soap and candles.

Not a expert but I bet your 2nd question answers itself (the X part). Don't know where they got it but always thought beans were ground in anyway shape and form they could including musket butts. A side note my father in law when alive I always told him his coffee would would float a iron wedge.

"1. Why the Union didn't import coffee from South America or Africa?"

Why would you think they didn't import coffee? Regular packets ran between South America and New York Throughout the war. Many American Merchants were traveling to Panama as apart of the trade route to California (the passengers would travel overland and catch a steamer to San Francisco on the Pacific side). Coffee was a nice return trip cargo if their wasn't any California gold to transport.

The article is talking about the confederates who were under blockade not getting coffee. Even then, individual northern soldiers exchanged coffee for southern tobacco when possible.

DOn't care for chicory myself, though the coffee alternatives mentioned in the article make chicory look pretty good as an alternative!

TKindred's is an interesting posting. More from the same
source (US Army QM site) may be found here:

link

Actually, I just had a cup of chicory coffee with dinner. I love the stuff actually.

My grandfather from Tennessee always slurped his chickory out of a saucer.

A coffee anecdote from Appomattox: Following the Confederate surrender many Federals shared their rations with their former enemies. After distributing his hardtack, a Union soldier brewed a cup of real coffee for his Southern guests, who hadn't tasted the real thing in some time. "Yank," one of them stated, "If we'd had coffee like this we'd have beaten ya'll with sticks!"

Sorry, don't remember the source.

A good description from Brigadier General Jacob Cox's autobiography from the Atlanta campaign, but I'm sure it was pretty universal.

"The coffee was always issued roasted, but in the whole berry, and was uniformly first rate in quality. The soldiers carried at the belt a tin quart-pail, in which the coffee was crushed as well as boiled. The pail was set upon a flat stone like a cobbler's lapstone, and the coffee berries were broken by using the butt of the bayonet as a pestle. At break of day every camp was musical with the clangor of these primitive coffee-mills. The coffee was fed to the mill a few berries at a time, and the veterans had the skill of gourmands in getting just the degree of fineness in crushing which would give the best strength and flavor. The cheering beverage was the comfort and luxury of camp life, and we habitually spoke of halting to make coffee, as in the French army they speak of their soupe."

FWIW,

US Army issue coffee (and the Navy's, as well) was issued in the bean because of the unscrupulous practices of some contractors. In order to pad their profits, some would add sawdust or other products to the mix and grind it all together. To prevent this, only whole bean was accepted. It was also weighed out prior to acceptance in order to make certain no small pebbles or stones were included, and a visual inspection also performed.

For an interesting side bar on the Navy's coffee, though a 20th century look, see here:

link

Very interesting data boys.
Many thanks for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand