"Civil War Culture" Topic

"Civil War culture in America–both North and South–was greatly distinct from life in the antebellum years. As the war dragged on, the soldier's life was one of near-constant hardship and deprivation, from substandard clothing and equipment to barely edible and usually insufficient rations. Many of the soldiers tried to distract themselves by singing and playing instruments, and the resulting patriotic marches and sad ballads became a musical legacy of the conflict. Newspapers–many of which featured reports directly from the battlefield–were more widely distributed than ever before, shaping the public's wartime experience to a greater extent than any previous conflict. Photography, another relatively new development, brought the horrific imagery of the war into the urban centers of the North. Finally, the Civil War had a tremendous economic impact, particularly in the South, where a northern blockade and the lack of a sound currency made it increasingly difficult to keep the Confederate economy afloat.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the new Union and Confederate armies were made up largely of amateur soldiers who were poorly trained, equipped and organized. Northern troops generally enjoyed better provisions than their southern counterparts, especially after the Union blockade of the Atlantic coast made it difficult to get goods and supplies in and out of the South. The staples of a soldier's diet were bread, meat and coffee, supplemented by rice, beans and canned fruits or vegetables, when available. The meat they received was beef or pork, preserved with salt to make it last longer, and the soldiers called this "salt horse." Both armies increasingly replaced bread with thick crackers known as hard tack, which were notoriously difficult to eat and had to be soaked in water to make them edible…."
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Amicalement
Armand

The beef was often "fresh," as both armies kept herds of cattle "on the hoof" when possible.

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand

In reference to the Southern culture on daily living, this is hogwash.

Over 90% of most Southern states had an agricultural based economy. Most farmers were yeoman with only only or no slaves. Most Southerners were not affected by the blockade. The blockade affected city dwellers and the war effort. But what war materials were affected? The south produced its own iron and gunpowder. We even have a massive cave near us where they produced gunpowder and later moonshine after the war. The south grew its own food and cloth. The blockade was just a myth with more damage to pride than affecting citizen who did not live in a coastal city. And we did not have many of those.

The south grew its own food and cloth.

It grew enough food, but transporting to where it was needed was another matter. Longstreet mentioned having a nice lunch of Nassau bacon and sweet potatoes at Chickamauga. He said they hardly ever had potatoes in Virginia. And it's rather telling that the Confederates imported bacon from Nassau (in the Bahamas) through the blockade! (rather than war materials) There were riots in Richmond because of a lack of food (at least at affordable prices).

As for cloth, the South grew cotton, and probably some wool, but did it have enough mills to turn it into cloth? And even if it did, there's still the problem of transporting it to where it's needed.

What about weapons…? they imported them from England…?

Amicalement
Armand

Nassau bacon is one of at least three ways to make bacon. Nassau is a process not a location.