"Hard crackers, hard crackers, come again no more!"
By far, the food soldiers received has been the source of more stories than any other aspect of army life. The Union soldier received avariety of edibles. The food issue, or ration, was usually meant to last three days while on active campaign and was based on thegeneral staples of meat and bread. Meat usually came in the form of salted pork or, on rare occasions, fresh beef. Rations of pork orbeef were boiled, broiled or fried over open campfires. Army bread was a flour biscuit called hardtack, re-named "tooth-dullers", "wormcastles", and "sheet iron crackers" by the soldiers who ate them. Hardtack could be eaten plain though most men preferred to toastthem over a fire, crumble them into soups, or crumble and fry them with their pork and bacon fat in a dish called skillygalee. Otherfood items included rice, peas, beans, dried fruit, potatoes, molasses, vinegar, and salt. Baked beans were a northern favorite whenthe time could be taken to prepare them and a cooking pot with a lid could be obtained. Coffee was a most desirable staple andsome soldiers considered the issue of coffee and accompanying sugar more important than anything else. Coffee beans weredistributed green so it was up to the soldiers to roast and grind them. The task for this most desirable of beverages was worth everysecond as former soldier John Billings recalled: "What a Godsend it seemed to us at times! How often after being completely jadedby a night march... have I had a wash, if there was water to be had, made and drunk my pint or so of coffee and felt as fresh and invigorated as if just arisen from a night's soundsleep!"
Soldiers often grouped themselves into a "mess" to combine and share rations, often with one soldier selected as cook or split duty between he and another man. But while on active campaign, rations were usually prepared by each man to the individual's taste. It was considered important for the men to cook the meat ration as soon as it was issued, for it could be eaten cold if activity prevented cook fires. A common campaign dinner was salted pork sliced over hardtack with coffee boiled in tin cups that each man carried.
The southern soldier's diet was considerably different from his northern counterpart and usually in much less quantity. The average Confederate subsisted on bacon, cornmeal, molasses, peas, tobacco, vegetables and rice. They also received a coffee substitute which was not as desirable as the real coffee northerners had. Trades of tobacco for coffee were quite common throughout the war when fighting was not underway. Other items for trade or barter included newspapers, sewing needles, buttons, and currency.
FAQs
These rations allotted just over a pound of meat, likely beef or pork, just under a pound of "hard bread," and a small collection of dried vegetables. The most common form of hard bread, was called hard tack, a basic wheat biscuit that did not easily decay and could survive a rough march.
What kind of foods did Civil War soldiers eat? ›
During the Civil War, the Union Army had two types of rations: "marching rations" and "camp rations." Marching rations consisted of sixteen ounces of hard bread, also known as "hardtack"; twelve ounces of salt pork or twenty ounces of fresh meat; and sugar, coffee, and salt.
What food did soldiers eat during war? ›
However, soldiers at the front still relied on preserved foods. These largely consisted of tinned items, but also dehydrated meats and oatmeal that were designed to be mixed with water. Morale-boosting items, such as chocolate and sweets, were also provided. And powdered milk was issued for use in tea.
What biscuit like food did soldiers eat in the Civil War? ›
During the Civil War one of the most common meals for soldiers was a cracker-like food called hardtack. Hardtack is made from flour, water, and salt.
What did people eat for dinner during the Civil War? ›
The dinner meal usually included meat, and often included potatoes. Supper usually was served between six and seven o'clock. If dinner had been heavy, supper was generally a light meal, with cold meats, cold cooked potatoes or some kind of potato salad, and fruit.
What did soldiers eat for breakfast in the Civil War? ›
Breakfast typically consisted of cornmeal mush with cream and maple syrup, cornmeal griddle cakes, doughnuts and tea. Lunch, which was called dinner, was the largest meal of the day and often consisted of boiled potatoes, ham, fresh pork or corned beef served with apple, rhubarb or a berry pie, depending on the season.
What did Civil War prisoners eat? ›
Water was obtained from wells 15-20 feet deep. The sinks consisted of a ditch which ran across the prison. Wood for cooking was delivered within the camp at three sticks per man per day. Rations consisted of bacon, beef, coffee, sugar and one loaf of bread each per day.
Did Civil War soldiers eat beef jerky? ›
Cowboys chawed on jerky in the movies, and also in real life in the 1820s. They'd slaughter bison, cattle, elk or deer, strip the meat and hang it out to dry. During the Civil War, an estimated 2 million Union Soldiers ate jerky with relish.
Did Civil War soldiers eat worms? ›
One staple of the Union soldier's diet was hardtack, a flour-and-water biscuit that was hardened to a rock-like texture. Because it could be stored for long periods of time, hardtack often became infested with weevils and worms. One solution was to soften it in coffee. “The bugs floated to the surface.
What were dried biscuits called in the Civil War? ›
Hardtack
| A preserved hardtack from the U.S. Civil War, Pensacola Museum of History, Florida |
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| Alternative names | ANZAC wafers, brewis, cabin bread, dog biscuit, molar breakers, pilot bread, sea biscuit, sea bread, sheet iron, ship's bisket, shipbiscuit, tooth dullers, worm castles |
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| Main ingredients | Flour, water |
2 more rowsCorn was an alternative as a readily accessible and local crop, and cornbread replaced fresh or hard bread for the soldiers. Other rations, such as coffee, were affected by the Union blockade, and chicory roots were used instead. The Confederacy did have some supplies in abundance, such as peanuts and tobacco.
How much coffee did Civil War soldiers drink? ›
Trade continued throughout the North, with the allotted rations including 36 pounds of coffee a year for every Union soldier.
What was the average age of a Union soldier? ›
The average Union soldier was 25.8 years old; there is no definite information on the average age of Confederate soldiers, but by the end of the war old men and young boys, who otherwise would have stayed home, were being pressed into service.
What vegetables were used in the Civil War? ›
The rations of desiccated vegetables supposedly contained string beans, turnips, carrots, beets, and onions which had been compressed into one inch by one foot rectangular bricks.
What food did they eat in the Civil War in Texas? ›
The greater portion of cattle went out of Texas on the hoof, to be served as fresh meat after being slaughtered in the army camp. So much beef, pork, mutton, grain, sugar, salt, peas, beans, flour and corn meal was shipped away that Texas became known as the breadbasket of the Confederacy.
What was the daily amount of food a Union soldier was entitled to? ›
According to army regulations for daily camp rations, a Union soldier was entitled to receive 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. 4 oz of salt or fresh beef; 1 lb. 6 oz of soft bread or flour or 1 lb. of hard bread (hardtack), or 4 oz of cornmeal.
By far, the food soldiers received has been the source of more stories than any other aspect of army life. The Union soldier received avariety of edibles. The food issue, or ration, was usually meant to last three days while on active campaign and was based on thegeneral staples of meat and bread. Meat usually came in the form of salted pork or, on rare occasions, fresh beef. Rations of pork orbeef were boiled, broiled or fried over open campfires. Army bread was a flour biscuit called hardtack, re-named "tooth-dullers", "wormcastles", and "sheet iron crackers" by the soldiers who ate them. Hardtack could be eaten plain though most men preferred to toastthem over a fire, crumble them into soups, or crumble and fry them with their pork and bacon fat in a dish called skillygalee. Otherfood items included rice, peas, beans, dried fruit, potatoes, molasses, vinegar, and salt. Baked beans were a northern favorite whenthe time could be taken to prepare them and a cooking pot with a lid could be obtained. Coffee was a most desirable staple andsome soldiers considered the issue of coffee and accompanying sugar more important than anything else. Coffee beans weredistributed green so it was up to the soldiers to roast and grind them. The task for this most desirable of beverages was worth everysecond as former soldier John Billings recalled: "What a Godsend it seemed to us at times! How often after being completely jadedby a night march... have I had a wash, if there was water to be had, made and drunk my pint or so of coffee and felt as fresh and invigorated as if just arisen from a night's soundsleep!" 