Foods of the American Civil War facts for kids
During the American Civil War, feeding the soldiers was a huge challenge for both the Union (North) and Confederate (South) armies. Soldiers needed enough food to stay strong and healthy, but getting it to them was often very difficult. This article explores what soldiers ate and how their food was supplied.
Contents
What Union Soldiers Ate
The Union Army had official rules for what each soldier should get every day. This was called a "ration." A daily ration for a Union soldier usually included:
- 12 ounces of pork or bacon (about three-quarters of a pound)
- Or, 1 pound 4 ounces of fresh or salted beef (a bit more than a pound)
- 1 pound 6 ounces of soft bread or flour
- Or, 1 pound 4 ounces of cornmeal
- Or, 1 pound of hard bread (hardtack)
Besides these main items, every 100 soldiers would also receive:
- 15 pounds of beans or peas
- 10 pounds of rice or hominy (a type of corn)
- 10 pounds of green coffee beans, or 8 pounds of roasted coffee, or 1 pound 8 ounces of tea
- 15 pounds of sugar
- 4 quarts of vinegar
- 1 pound 4 ounces of candles
- 4 pounds of soap
- 3 pounds 12 ounces of salt
- 4 ounces of pepper
- 30 pounds of potatoes
- 1 quart of molasses
Sometimes, fresh vegetables like potatoes and beans were replaced with dried, pressed vegetables. When soldiers were marching quickly, they got a "short" ration. This included 1 pound of hardtack, three-quarters of a pound of salt pork or a quarter pound of fresh meat, 1 ounce of coffee, 3 ounces of sugar, and salt. Soldiers carried these rations in their haversacks.
Food Challenges and Solutions
Even with these rations, soldiers sometimes didn't get all the nutrients they needed. To prevent diseases like scurvy (caused by lack of Vitamin C), they sometimes received small amounts of onions, dried apples or peaches, pickles, or sauerkraut.
Soldiers often had to find extra food themselves. They might search for food in the countryside (called foraging), get food packages from their families, or buy items from traveling sellers called sutlers.
Food could also get bugs in it, especially weevils in hardtack. If soft bread had bugs, there wasn't much to do. But with hardtack, soldiers would often break it into pieces in their coffee. The weevils would float to the top, and soldiers could then skim them off.
Gail Borden's invention of condensed milk was very helpful for the Union army. Soldiers also drank a lot of coffee. If real coffee beans were hard to find, they would sometimes use dandelion root as a substitute. It tasted similar but had no caffeine.
What Confederate Soldiers Ate
Officially, Confederate soldiers were supposed to get similar rations to the Union army. However, they usually received less meat, coffee, vinegar, and salt, though a bit more sugar. In reality, they rarely got their full rations. Confederate soldiers often had to find food from the land around them. For example, during the Maryland campaign, they mostly ate green corn and apples they found in fields.
Cornbread was a common food for them. It was often coarse, dry, and didn't taste very good. They even preferred hardtack captured from Union forces! The peanut was popular with both sides. But in the later years of the war, as the Union blockade made it hard to get supplies, peanuts were sometimes the only food left for Confederates.
Coffee was greatly missed by Confederate soldiers. They often went without it or used substitutes. They tried many things like corn kernels, dried apples, and acorns. The best coffee substitute they found was wild chicory root. When Union and Confederate soldiers were on picket duty (guard duty), they sometimes traded scarce Southern tobacco for coffee.
How Food Was Supplied
Feeding thousands of soldiers in both armies was a huge and complicated job. This process is called "logistics." It involved getting food from farms and factories to the soldiers on the battlefield.
Supplying the Union Army
In the Union Army, a special department called the Commissary General of Subsistence was in charge of food. This department bought food in large amounts and sent it to places where soldiers were. They also arranged for cattle to be driven behind the armies to provide fresh meat.
Each military unit had officers and sergeants responsible for getting and giving out food. These officers would request rations, which were then picked up by the unit's supply wagons from the nearest food storage area or train station.
However, there weren't always enough trained people for these jobs. So, sometimes regular soldiers, hired civilians, or even freed slaves helped with distributing food.
Supplying the Confederate Army
The Confederate army had a similar food supply system. But it faced even more problems. It was new and didn't have many experienced people. There was also a lack of coordination and arguments within the system. Like the Union, they often had to use hired civilians, soldiers, or even enslaved people to help deliver food. Using enslaved people was often necessary but also difficult for their owners, and it took workers away from other important jobs.
Once the food arrived, there were no trained cooks. Soldiers had to cook for themselves, either in small groups or by taking turns within their company. Often, food was not prepared well, which led to sickness and discomfort among the soldiers.
One common dish Union soldiers made was "Skillygalee." This was hardtack soaked in water and then fried in fat. Confederate soldiers often made "coosh." They would fry bacon and then add water and cornmeal. This was a quick meal for when the army was on the march.
Food Beyond the Battlefield
Away from the fighting, food shortages were much worse in the South. This was mainly because the Union blockade stopped many supplies from reaching Southern ports. Cookbooks from the North during this time barely mention the war. But in the few Southern cookbooks published then, it's clear that food was very scarce.
