"Civil War Cooking: What the Union Soldiers Ate" Topic

"We grab our plates and cups, and wait for no second invitation. We each get a piece of meat and a potato, a chunk of bread and a cup of coffee with a spoonful of brown sugar in it. Milk and butter we buy, or go without. We settle down, generally in groups, and the meal is soon over… We save a piece of bread for the last, with which we wipe up everything, and then eat the dish rag. Dinner and breakfast are alike, only sometimes the meat and potatoes are cut up and cooked together, which makes a really delicious stew. Supper is the same, minus the meat and potatoes…."
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Amicalement
Armand

Both armies seemed to think that only meat and bread were really necessary, with, perhaps, some sugar and salt. And, of course, coffee (for the Federals at least). Veggies evidently were not considered that important.

In his memoirs, Longstreet mentions having a lunch at Chickamauga of Nassau bacon and sweet potatoes. He considered the latter a rare treat, saying they rarely had potatoes of any kind in Virginia. (Interesting that the Confederates imported bacon from Nassau, in the Bahamas.)

Thanks!.

No rice?

Amicalement
Armand

Made stew like that last night and if theirs was anything like mine they were eating good.

As for rice, I don't think many Americans ever ate much rice in those days. It was grown around the Savannah River, on the South Carolina-Georgia boundary, so units stationed in that area probably ate it. Otherwise, I doubt it was a common thing.

Thanks!.

I guess corn was most common….

Amicalement
Armand

The article is a bit fanciful. Hard tack, salt pork, and coffee were the standard rations. The North attempted to provide some more healthy foods like desiccated vegetables, but this was still pretty rare. The armies did drive herds of cattle with them so there would sometimes be fresh beef. Overall it was an unhealthy diet which contributed to the huge number of deaths due to disease.

With the Federals, corn was more likely fed to the horses and/or beef cattle. Hardtack was made from wheat. Confederates might have eaten a lot of "corn pone," i.e. corn bread.

The troops derisively called desiccated vegetables "desecrated vegetables."

The soldiers made the best of what they got. Union troops made skillagee – broken up hard tack fried in bacon grease. Southerners made coosh – corn meal cakes fried in bacon grease. Note the common theme here…

Just proves that everything is better with BACON.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand