The American Civil War (1861-1865) presented immense logistical challenges, including feeding the vast armies of both the Union and the Confederacy. What soldiers ate significantly impacted their health, morale, and fighting ability. While seemingly basic by modern standards, the food provided to Civil War soldiers aimed to meet their nutritional needs under challenging circumstances.
Army Rations: A Source of Complaint
Army rations were a constant topic of conversation and complaint among soldiers. While a hot, tasty meal can boost morale, the repetitive and often unappetizing food available to soldiers often had the opposite effect. The quality of army rations during the Civil War was generally poor, monotonous, and frequently in short supply. One Tennessee soldier wryly commented, "Sometimes we had a good meal, but generally we…had to buckle up our belts to find whether we possessed stomachs."
The Union Diet: Hardtack and Coffee
The Union Army's daily ration underwent little change between 1775 and the 1890s, and, in some ways, took a number of steps backwards. Vegetables and spruce beer were eliminated in 1790. Rum was dropped from the ration in 1832, with coffee added as the replacement. Aside from a small allowance of peas and beans, there was relatively little change. The typical Union soldier's diet consisted primarily of coffee, hardtack, and salt pork.
- Hardtack: This was a three-inch square cracker, known for its stone-like texture and frequent infestation with worms. As one Pennsylvanian soldier noted in 1862, "Camp gossip says that the crackers have been in storage since the Mexican War. They are…almost hard as a brick, and undoubtedly would keep for years and be as palatable as they now are." Soldiers often soaked hardtack in water, coffee, or meat fat to soften it.
- Coffee: This was a mainstay of the Union diet. One soldier noted, "Without it was misery indeed."
- Salt Pork: This provided a source of fat and protein, though it could be monotonous.
The Union Commissary General of Subsistence was in charge of the purchase, storage and distribution of food rations and related items. The Subsistence Department maintained depots in major cities and producing areas; officers in charge at these locations were responsible for buying food in bulk and repackaging for delivery to field units. Field units were assigned commissary personnel to oversee the requisition, accounting for and distribution of rations to their respective units.
The Confederate Diet: Cornbread and Substitutes
The official ration for soldiers of the Confederate States army was supposed to be similar to that for the Union, with slightly less meat, coffee, vinegar and salt but more sugar. However, the Confederate diet often differed significantly due to resource scarcity and the Union blockade.
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- Cornbread: This became the staple of the Confederate diet. According to John Casler of the Stonewall Brigade, "The corn bread would get so hard and moldy that when we broke it, it looked like it had cobwebs in it." Made from coarse, unsifted cornmeal, it was often dry and tasteless. Soldiers sometimes cooked "slapjacks" over an open fire, resulting in corn cakes with layers of paste and soot.
- Meat: Meat was always in short supply. Beef was distributed either fresh or pickled. Most men ate it raw because it tasted the same whether cooked or not.
- Coffee Substitutes: The Union blockade severely limited coffee supplies. Confederates turned to substitutes such as peanuts, peas, corn, and wild chicory root.
The Confederate army had a similar Commissary General of Subsistence. However, the lack of coordination, plus infighting, created a situation that was worse in the Southern bureau system than in the North. It was further hampered by having to be created from scratch with a serious lack of experienced personnel.
Nutritional Deficiencies and Health Problems
The monotonous and often inadequate rations led to various health problems among Civil War soldiers.
- Scurvy: A deficiency in Vitamin C, resulted from the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Diarrhea and Dysentery: These were common ailments, often caused by poor sanitation and contaminated food.
- Malnutrition: The limited variety and quantity of food contributed to malnutrition. A New Jersey infantryman once declared after a new issue of meat: “Every man who had eaten any of the stuff was laid up, and what with the heaving up and the back door trots, we had a sorry time of it”.
Much of the sickness so prevalent in army camps was a direct result of poor army rations. Diarrhea, dysentery, scurvy, and malnutrition were attributable to the steady diet of fried meat, hard bread, and strong coffee - supplemented on occasion with green peaches and unripe apples. Moreover, a Billy Yank confessed, “the mess pans were used to fry our pork in and also as a wash basin. Our soup, coffee and meat were boiled in camp kettles…which were also used for boiling our dirty clothes”.
Supplementing Rations: Foraging and Resourcefulness
Recognizing the deficiencies in their rations, soldiers often sought to supplement their diets through foraging, purchasing food from local vendors, or receiving care packages from home.
- Foraging: Soldiers gathered wild fruits, vegetables, and nuts when available. A South Carolinian admitted in 1864 to having a bold appetite. He then confessed that a day or so earlier, he “devoured the hindquarters of a muskrat with vindictive relish, and looked with longing eyes upon our adjutant general’s young dog”.
- Gardening: When stationed in one location for an extended period, some units cultivated gardens to grow fresh produce. Forts had land to grow vegetables, keep cows, and so forth.
Cooking and Food Preparation
Initially, soldiers were required to cook their own meals, with many grouping together to cook and share, but in time cooks were assigned the role. The US Congress partially addressed this issue with the Act of March 3, 1863, which mandated one to two "head-cooks" per company and the enlistment of two African-American "under-cooks" per head-cook. One common dish prepared by Civil War soldiers was Skillygalee, hardtack soaked in water and fried in fat. Food often became infested with insects, especially rice or grain weevils.
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Post-Civil War Developments in Military Nutrition
After the Civil War, there were glimmers of nutritional science. Foods were analyzed for carbohydrates, fat and protein, but the Army was still largely concerned with filling the stomach. In 1907, something like Horsford's ration was adopted: three ounces of powdered evaporated beef, six ounces parched wheat and three ounces of chocolate. The Army was still not satisfied and kept tinkering. There was still little nutritional consideration. These rations were intended to tide troops over for a few days, and had 1,200-2,500 calories versus the roughly 4,500 in the garrison ration. The goal seems to have been to keep energy levels up and hunger pangs down.
As nutrition science advanced, the Army began to pay more attention to the nutritional needs of soldiers. By World War I, foods were analyzed for calorie content and protein/fat/carbohydrates. Vitamin research was started and Army nutritionists visited camps with advice on foods and cooking. The leading nutritionist, Lt. Col.
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