wooden bowls and utensils

[westcoastcampaigner]

Hello All,

I tried coming up with something pretaining to this through the search function and was unsuccessful. Is there any evidence or references in letters, diaries, or memoirs about Confederate usage of wooden bowls and utensils while on campaign? I'm guessing that they would have been made and used in prison camps due to the lack of tin eating wear but would they have been used in camps by any of the Confederate armies? Any information would be a great help, I can't find much. Thanks so much.


Josh Sawyer
Liberty Rifles

[Tom Ezell]

Re: wooden bowls and utensils

I don't intend to be an ogre about it, but what did your research indicate that Confederates did use for these purposes on campaign?

It's much better to do the research to find out what they did use, than to arbitrarily pick something out and then try to find a justification for its use. That approach leads to the Dark Side of the Force... to farbdom, young Jedi.

For starters, if you'll consult J.F. Cannon's Bloody Banners and Barefoot Boys, a contemporary history of the 27th Alabama Infantry, you'll find that the Confederates were sometimes reduced to using corn shucks and tree bark as cooking and eating utensils. Kind of primitive, but it makes a good start...

[westcoastcampaigner]

Re: wooden bowls and utensils

Tom,

Yeah I understand what you're saying. Much of my research indicates that they used tin in the field but I just wanted to be a little different if in fact wood was used (I have a great wood bowl and spoon). I was hoping maybe there was some instances of soldiers using wooden products. I wasn't planning on using them unless my research turned up something. Thanks.

Josh Sawyer
Liberty Rifles

[Charles Heath]

Re: wooden bowls and utensils

That approach leads to the Dark Side of the Force... to farbdom, young Jedi.

Got that Dark Side thing just a little bass ackwards there, Darth Tom?

Many moons ago in a galaxy far away Scott McKay assembled some great information about the 10th Texas Infantry, and kindly put it on a website. This is one of the many pieces about subsistence, and it just so happens to be about corn shuck baking:

http://members.aol.com/cbbelt/Food/shucks.htm

[Tom Ezell]

Re: wooden bowls and utensils

The source of illumination depends, I guess, on just which side of the light line you're standing on. I'd prefer to refer to our position as "having seen the light"... regardless of the seductive nature of the movement ;-)

Yep... I saw the reference first on Scott's site for the 10th Texas, but then eventually bought the original book when I was out at Chickamauga NBP a few years ago. The point to be made to the young warriors, I hope, is that web forums and pages ain't the fount of all knowledde worth knowing, you do have to hit the paper records and these antiquated things called "books" more than just every once in a long while.

[Charles Heath]

Re: wooden bowls and utensils

The point to be made to the young warriors, I hope, is that web forums and pages ain't the fount of all knowledde worth knowing, you do have to hit the paper records and these antiquated things called "books" more than just every once in a long while.

And the next point is to get out and do it, and the desire to read, and then reenact what was read appears to be dwindling in some parts. The first time I made that receipt, I did it in the oven here in the kitchen (before the remodeling) when the oven was in its own uncalibrated temperature orbit. That led me to wonder if there was a connection between the pone in the husk, and the ubiquitous cast iron "corn stick" molds that aren't much different. I've always assumed that kitchen item to be post war, but wouldn't it be grand to learn otherwise?

This gets back to Kevin's interpretive question elsewhere on this forum, which is definitely one of the better questions asked in recent months.

See you in the bayou, Thomas,