"food rations" Topic

Hello friends,

My question is this. Were the food rations the same in size and quality for privates, NCOs, and officers ?

Who? And when?

Not enough to go on there…

The enlisted men were issued rations which they could supplement by foraging or purchases from the sutlers (licensed merchants who accompanied the army). The amount of the ration was prescribed by the regulations.

Officers were given an allowance in their pay for food and one or more servants. They could buy their food (often from those same sutlers) or from local sources. On the march the junior officers would often end up eating the same food as the enlisted men. Senior officers had a sufficient baggage allowance that they could usually bring their own food along. Although if the baggage train was delayed (a common occurrence) they might end up having to beg food from their junior officers or even from the enlisted men.

Thank you ScottWashburn, interesting stuff.

Recently read of an army commander (don't remember who, or which side) complaining about the slowness to pay his troops as it worked an especial hardship on the junior officers, who had to buy their own rations -- senior officers were assumed to be well-off enough to go without pay for long periods, and enlisted men were issued rations, but junior officers were caught in the middle.

Of course, rations often meant just meat and bread (hardtack), with "small rations" of salt, sugar and coffee.