Rations

[Michael Comer]

Re: A can amongst the rocks.

Hopefully it's not a can of Dinty Moore beef stew. We'll never hear the end of it from the streamers :D .

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Candles

Gents,

Some of my pards and I are planning on doing a ration issue. We wanted to add candles into the picture, but I can't see paying $.75 a candle for 50 candles. Just wondering if anyone knew of a source that sells bulk candles that are period accurate for the federal army.

Respectfully,

Ryan,

Another thing to consider is that each man was not issued a candle. The ORs state that one pound of sperm, one and a quarter pounds of adamantine or star or one and a half pounds of tallow candles were issued per 100 men. The difference in the recommended number of each kind of candle was due to the various burning times of each type of candle, with tallow burning
the fastest and sperm burning the longest.

[BobSullivanPress]

Re: Candles

I don't know what they're made of, but IKEA sells boxes of candles for about $5. They look just like Federal Issue candles, same shape, size and color. They seem to burn long also, provided you don't put them in a tin lantern (which you wouldn't anyway). Anyway, you get about 25-30 candles for $5, which comes out to about 20 cents a candle.

I'm stating this simply for informational purposes. If your unit requires candles made from specific materials, you probably don't want to go to IKEA.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Candles

I don't know what they're made of, but IKEA sells boxes of candles for about $5.
I'm stating this simply for informational purposes. If your unit requires candles made from specific materials, you probably don't want to go to IKEA.

The cheaper candles you mentioned are not stearin candles and are made mostly from paraffin which is not nearly as hard as stearin. Some candle makers add stearin to the paraffin but you still don't have as good of a qualtity as a 100% stearine candle.

[BobSullivanPress]

Re: Candles

100% stearine candles clack when hit together and other candles will clunk. Also, if you run a fingernail down a stearine candle the substance will chip off in flakes and with paraffin candles, the wax will come off in a ribbon.

Well, they clack... :)

[hiplainsyank]

Re: A can amongst the rocks.

Notice how the debris seems to take a rough line "behind" the rocks (at least, relative to forces holding the Round Tops). Wasn't this area occupied by various troops the 3rd and 4th? Someone maybe had a can of peaches or something to eat during their long, tense time holding this position.

My 2 cents.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Candles

Well, they clack... :)

Bob,

How does the fingernail test do? The softer paraffin will ribbon and the hard stearine will only come off in flakes.

When I mentioned the clack sound, it is like the toy clackers that was popular years ago. The sound is more high pitched than the clunking sound that paraffin candles make.

[Lone_Rebel87]

Re: A can amongst the rocks.

Now didin't there commanders tell them not to leave their coke cans lying around. :tounge_sm

Jordan Davis

[MBBursig]

Re: A can amongst the rocks.

Jason,

I think maybe it is a can of some of that Rice Pudding ....

But on a more serious note its kind of amazing/ interesting to see what different types of debris and such gets left on the battlefield. Imagine what type of rations from haversacks and such were strewn about the place.

Matt

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: Candles

I saw a post recently stating that the parafin candles of the 19th c. looked very much like the cheap emergency candles you can buy at the Dollar Store (10 for $1.00). The only slight difference was the tip of period candles would have been a bit more bell shaped. Again, this based on reading an old post and not based on any research I have done personally.

regards,
Jim Butler
The SRR

[Hank Trent]

Re: Effects of diet on soldiers?

I have seen several references to soldiers dying of heat strokes. Wonder how many were really heat strokes and how many were heart attacks?

While researching something else entirely (period hollow-earth theories), I came across the following, from http://koreshan.mwweb.org/teed.htm. Not a primary source, but apparently an uncritical summary of his condition from primary sources.

While on the march near Warrenton Junction, Virginia on August 1, 1863, he suffered sunstroke which led to paralysis of his left arm and leg. He was assigned to Ward 2, bed 71 at the General Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia where he was treated for sixty-one days until his release (August 7, 1863-October 16, 1863). He was granted a discharge from the army...

Sunstroke causing one-sided paralysis? Sounds like it could have been what we would call a stroke.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[2ndMDRebel]

Re: A can amongst the rocks.

Maybe it was the proverbial can of whoop-*ss that the rebels opened up on the 3rd corps?

-------------
Tom Metzger

[Lone Guard]

Good Hardtack Recipe

I've tried a few different hardtack recipes, and each one turned out poorly.
Some said to use different types of flour, some said to bake at different temperatures or lengths of time.
For those who make their own hardtack, do you know a recipe that you use and like well? If someone could please post a link that they like, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Good Hardtack Recipe

This has been posted before, but for any who haven't seen it:

HARDTACK

Ingredients:
• 4 cups of flour in a large bowl*
• Optional: 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar. (This adds some “air” to the finished crackers and makes them a bit “less dense”. It does not create big air pockets and the crackers will still turn out quite hard. This ingredient can be omitted.)** Mix with the flour in the bowl.
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda**
• 1½ teaspoons of salt
• 1 cup of water

Dissolve the salt and soda (if used) in the cup of water.

Mix all ingredients well. Roll out dough ½-inch to 3/8-inch thick with a rolling pin. Because original, issued hardtack was uniform, by far the best results are obtained with a hardtack cutter. If a hardtack cutter is unavailable, cut the dough into squares approximately 3 inches by 3 inches. Use a 1/8-inch diameter dowel to create sixteen holes in each cracker in a 4 by 4 pattern. A hardtack cutter is optimal.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 450 degrees. When done, let air-dry for minimum of twenty-four hours, preferably more, before the crackers are placed into a bag or sealed container. Yield: 9 to 11 crackers.

* Period hardtack contractors used a flour known as “cracker flour”, which can be simulated by mixing one part pastry flour with three parts ordinary, unbleached flour.

** This ingredient is a popular “reenactor addition” to the recipe that was not present in Civil War hardtack. This ingredient will help make your crackers slightly more palatable but, for increased authenticity, omit this ingredient.

[Lone Guard]

Re: Good Hardtack Recipe

You know what, I didn't even search. I'm sorry.