Rations

[Cfarrell]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Play around with the search function. Really, what you are looking for is there plus a lot lot lot more! Promise!:D I often find myself just typing something in to pass the time at work if I have nothing better to do. You can spend hours reading over the material that’s there. (Ah,...I love my new job.:p) But again, the search function is probably the best helper on the forums. You could never get as good of an answer in this one thread...as you can in the ones that reside in the archives.

Regards,

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Dried Apples:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12872&highlight=food

Sausage Revisited

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8357&highlight=western+food

These are by no means conclusive...but should get you started...I ran a search on food and western food...

Paul

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Two other items I just remembered: Sala also mentions soldiers "sucking any quantity of lollipops", and Ambrose Bierce ("What I Saw of Shiloh") notes among the wreckage of battle "the omnipresent sardine-box."

Neither are part of the ration, and they are not recommended in combination. Interestingly enough, Bierce became friends with Sala during his sojourn in London after the war. I don't have at hand a record of one of their dinners, but the acquaintance resulted in an early publication of Bierce's poems entitled "Cobwebs From an Empty Skull" -- which sounds not nearly as appetizing as the later "Black Beetles in Amber."

[Charles Heath]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Perhaps the first question would be to determine whether this is the 1st or 2nd Battle of Cabin Creek, thus fixing the time of year for any foraged items, as well as who gets the lovely goodies in the wagon train after all is said and done.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Check out the "Research Articles" (subfolder of this very folder on this here forum) and read the articles therein on the topic of grub. If I'm not mistaken, I think the one I wrote for the CRRC is even in there--it's an 8,000-word reply so I won't attempt to reiterate it here.

[JimConley]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Hello Justin, and welcome.

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to period foods, but there are some general things to keep in mind when picking up some haversack items.

1) Unless you can find an account(s) of food during the time frame portrayed at an event, I like to keep it basic as possible. I take into account the region and time of year that said historical occurrence was set. This can greatly limit you to what kinds of foods, particularly fruits and vegetables would have been available to a soldier at that particular instance.

2) If you really want to keep it authentic, I know that myself and some others will shop for organic foods to avoid foods that are processed with preservatives and additives. Luckily, finding salt cured pork (for example) is still not too hard and is of period practice.

3) When bringing your own hardtack, the cheapest and best way is to make your own. Hardtack cutters can be bought from a string of Jo Blow sutlers and finding a recipe of pretty easy. It's really just trial and error. The search function turned up this thread: http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...rdtack+recipes

Mr. Schaffner,
I have heard some arguments against apricots before, but until you brought it up, I had never given it much thought. But, a quick google search brought up some information that really made me think that apricots would have very seldom (if ever) made it far enough East to have found their way into the haversacks of ACW troops. Realize that I'm not picking on you at all, just that I find this topic somewhat interesting because so many guys do like to stuff dried fruit into their weekend event diets.

http://www.apricotproducers.com/html/consumhis.htm

http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/encyclopaedia!openframeset&frame=Right&Src=/edible.nsf/pages/apricots!opendocument

http://www.peterwolfe.com/history1.htm

According to these sites, the apricot was introduced to California by the Spanish in the 18th century. And, by the end of that century, records of apricot production were found. However, even today's apricot industry uses careful picking and shipping processes because the fruit is so delicate. From the second site linked above: "Apricots do not travel well -- less than one-quarter of Apricots are even shipped fresh to our grocery stores. Apricots are picked when they have good colour and come off the tree without tearing, but before they are fully ripened." Anybody that has ever bought fruit from the store knows that if you buy unripened fruit, it will take a few days to be at the point where it can be most enjoyed, then it quickly goes bad if left alone. Point being, if apricots were picked in California in the 1860s then sent East, by the time they reached a region where any Civil War soldier was laying his head, they'd be fouled. And just to further that, the last website linked said this, "The 1910 U.S. census recorded reported that 96.4% of all apricots grown in the United States were produced in California," thus there would have been very very small amounts of apricot production (if any) close enough geographically to be edible to an ACW soldier. Now, I realize you are speaking of dried apricots, which presents the idea of longer lasting fruit. But, if all, or the majority of, apricots being grown in the 1860s were in California, what's the likelihood of them making their way to soldiers East of the Mississippi or even in the Trans Mississippi regions? And if it did happen to occur, chances are that it would have been an isolated incident.

I would be very interested to see what accounts people might have come across about dried fruits, and particularly apricots. I'm not claiming to be right, but from what I found quickly through google, I'm very open to someone showing me evidence to the contrary.

Apricots...a re-enactorism?

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Hello-

I'd echo what Charles Heath says in respect to thoroughly researching the deeper factors of supply/availability. As a former supply officer in the Iraq War, I look upon everything by nature as supply and demand (just like supply officers of that period did -a la Caleb Huse of the McRae Papers-lol)

Here's where you might start your research... I think of these things when I do mine:

a)What time of year an event was to have taken place?
Were the items you want to carry in-season then? Would they have been able to
be transported over long distances without spoilage due to heat/cold conditions?

b)What year the event was to have taken place?
Was it a "bad year" for a particular crop where it was grown? Early frost on
historical record that made a certain produce hard-to-get? Can you prove it with
your research? You can research known weather history to an area in this
respect if you want to get thatdeep.
It's up to you on that one there. :wink_smil

c)What crops were to have historically been grown there to the time of the
battle?
Example: Apples don't grow very well in Lowcountry South Carolina/
Georgia, soil going toward the coastline... if your impression comes from there,
peaches are more accurate. Neither does wheat grow well in that area-go for grits
or cornbread. Also, certain crops, like soybeans, weren't cultivated in the South
until after the War, though there are plenty of them now there. (Not like
you'd eat soybeans in your haversack, though...)

d)How was the supply situation in the area at the time of the battle?
According to your research, do you have documentation supporting what you
have chosen to carry in your haversack based-upon what was able to be brought-
into the area by a sutler or peddler of some sort. You might be suprised to find
period evidence for that sugar candy, cheese, licorice or sugared plums being
there at the around time when the battle happened in the hands of the soldiers
that fought there!

This is how I do my research for what I bring with me to an event. The material culture of the period is most fascinating as a research item for me when it comes to events.

Still haven't found that supporting evidence for champagne being drank by Confederates at First Manassas... Hmmmm... ;)

Thanks- Johnny Lloyd

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

That's a good point about apricots, but it hadn't occurred to me to think of anything other than the dried product. In that line, Turkish apricots are as ancient an export as Smyrna figs, probably much more likely to be found here than those of California, but not necessarily less common than such imports as coffee, tea, madeira, hock, champagne, ginger, black pepper, the fixin's for pineapple cider, and, for all I know, lemons.

I'll have to look at the matter a little more closely after I go through my current stash, but I'm slightly comforted by an article in the May, 1869 Atlantic Monthly by John Burroughs called "Spring in Washington." He came here in 1863, he says, and likes the mild winter and virtually year-round wildflowers. In describing spring he writes "Apricot-trees are usually in bloom on All-Fools-day, and the apple-trees on May-day."

That's not commercial production, of course; just a little something close to home.

Thanks for raising this, though. I may yet have to switch to cherries. :)

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Well, I learned something today, and not just about apricots. I like apricots enough that I freely confess to the crime of conducting research solely to justify one aspect of my impression. At least in this instance, it seems to have warranted the effort.

First, about 20 minutes online led to a number of sources, given below, that substantiate apricot cultivation in -- besides the District of Columbia -- civil war era Missouri and colonial Virginia (including not only Jamestown, but Stratford Hall and Arlington House).

But after fooling around online I remembered that I actually had some books on the subject. Looking at Eating in America, by Waverly Root & Robert de Rochemont, I found on pp. 65-66 the following:

“European fruits were not simply accepted by the Indians, they were pounced upon…. Apricots were less widely favored [than peaches], but the Cherokees grew enough of them so that by the eighteenth century they were running wild, dotting the countryside with what were called ‘field apricots.’”

With apricots appearing not only in California (and Mexico) and available as imports, and grown in places as distant as Missouri, Virginia, and the lands formerly occupied by the Cherokees, I don't have a problem putting them in my haversack. I feel fairly confident that I've seen them referred to in different journals, but now I think I'll collect the citations for future reference.

In the meantime, thanks for raising the question -- every bit of doubt cast on something often taken for granted makes for more research, which is never a bad thing.

http://www.lyndonirwin.com/cwstchar.htm

St. Charles County Agriculture in 1865

The population in 1865 was about 16,000. The land was laid out in a format used by the French Government. The measurement of the land was one arpen wide and forty arpens long. An arpen or arpent was equal to .85 of an acre. The only condition of these lands was that they were to be worked and the amount of land given to the farmer depended on his ability to work, number of family members, and other circumstances that surrounded him. Many farms that lay next to each other were fenced together forming “common fields”. The “common fields” were named after the closest French village and these fields would sometimes contain as many as forty or more individual farms.

Many crops were grown in this county such as corn, oats, Irish and sweet potatoes, tobacco, and grapes. The most profitable were wheat (50bu/ac), corn (40bu/ac), oats (35bu/ac), and hay (timothy and clover).
Livestock in the county was in abundance as well. The slaughter weight on hogs was about two hundred pounds and about twenty thousand head were exported or driven to market. The twenty thousand cattle were mainly mixed breeds made by a cross of Durham or some other imported breed. Dairies were obsolete in this county, but a lot of butter is made in the city and that is where it was sold. The price of a workhorse was about one hundred ten dollars and a good horse sold for about two hundred dollars. The colts were of Morgan and English gray stock and brought about seventy dollars from birth to breaking age. Mules were raised, but mainly for use and prices were low. Sheep raising was profitable in this county, but too many dogs were being raised to please the sheep farmers. The fruit raised in the county included apples, pears, and peaches. The county has portable cider mills, in which a large quantity of apples ended as cider. Other fruits were grown as well-cherries, plums, apricots, and blackberries.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/colo/Jamestwn/loopdrive_REV_CMS.htm

Agricultural Beginnings--(Painting) It took 12 years for the colonists to become self-sufficient. The forests gave way to fields of native squash, pumpkin, beans, peas, and most importantly, "Indian corn" or maize. some European crops adapted well: apples, apricots, and oats. Other imports were failures: bananas, pineapples, and olives. To continue the tour proceed across the wooden bridge and stop at the next large pull off on your right.

http://www.stratfordhall.org/plantation.html

Shops of many kinds were kept busy. Indentured craftsmen trained slaves in smithing, carpentry, coopering, tanning, and shoemaking. Brick was fired in kilns dug in the ground, and a wheelwright made and repaired the wheels broken so easily on the rough Virginia roads. Ships were built, liquor distilled, furniture made and iron forged for simple tools, nails and hinges. The women carded, spun, wove and sewed year round for the plantation's population. Stratford's fields grew wheat, barley, oats, flax and corn. From its kitchen gardens came vegetables and "sallet greens," and orchards provided grapes, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, figs, and even pomegranates.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/arho/tour/spectacle/spectacle_2005-05.pdf

recipe for sweet-meat pudding with apricots

[flattop32355]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Mike,
Without questioning the veracity of a wide variety of fruits, etc. being grown in the eastern part of the country, is there any information on how that translates into amounts available to supply large numbers of soldiers, rather than growing just enough (or a small surplus) to support a given plantation's population needs?

In other words, were these products adequate for local needs only, or grown in quantity as cash crops?

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

It's funny -- all this started as just some suggestions to a gentleman on what he could munch on besides snickers, granola bars, and gorp. :)

But I think your question misses the point, Bernie. I have only found mention of dried apples as part of the regular issue, which would be the best reflection of what was available through bulk production, but that regular issue also omits lollipops, canned peaches, pie, ginger snaps, cheese, and innumerable other foodstuffs soldiers were known to relish, whether available from sutlers, packages from home, or by purchase from the local economy.

The army Surgeon's Manual and the Steward's Manual both mention dried fruits in several places as the sort of item to be purchased through the Hospital Fund, but alas they do not specify type. But that's not really surprising, because I suspect that the "PEC" concept may be out of place when we try to apply it to food available to households in the 19th century -- the sheer variety of fruit, vegetables, domestic meat, and wild game that one could obtain is staggering -- well beyond what you can get in the typical supermarket today. Anyone for quinces and terrapin soup?

The sheer number of items available argues against industrial scale production of all of them, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be widely available.

And the apricot appears to have been common to ubiquitous. The Brooklyn Eagle (another online source) has several score references between 1841 and 1866, many in advertisements for homes with gardens.

But here are a couple of other "off line" references I came across this morning while cooling down after a short run:

Economic History of Virginia, Philip Alexander Bruce, NY, 1935, Vol. I, p. 331, “In the immediate vicinity of his house at Green Spring, Governor Berkeley had fifteen hundred apple, peach, apricot, quince, and other fruit trees.”

Beadle’s Dime Cook Book, by “Mrs. Victor”, 1863, p. 62, recipes for preserving apricots, both green (“the size of a nutmeg”) and whole.

The Beadle reference seems particularly apt because it's contemporary and clearly meant for a broad audience.

So now we have a fruit grown on farms in Missouri, plantations in Virginia, and backyard gardens in Brooklyn, with instructions on how to preserve it in at least two ways available in a popular volume printed during the war. Based on the references that I've come across in the last 24 hours -- including some volumes I just happened to have on my shelves at home -- I have no doubt that I've just scratched the surface.

As to evidence of the quantity produced, I suspect there's information out there in Census reports, or papers by agricultural societies, but, as far as this one item in my haversack, I'm satisfied without spending additional hours digging up those sources.

I'm just very grateful to Sala for specifically documenting ginger snaps and barley sugar, at least for late-war AOP impressions...

[Hank Trent]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Here's an article I wrote several years ago on apricots, so the research may be a little out-of-date, since a lot more sources are easily available now. Still, it may be of some interest. Hopefully the file will upload properly.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Authentic Foodstuffs?

Thanks very much for that, Hank. A number of those sources look familiar now, after spending a few hours online -- Google Books has proved pretty rich, along with the MOA. The former has a number of horticultural works on the subject of fruit in America, as well as various cookbooks, mostly English, including one by Alexis Soyer, whose recipes for the field found their way into Scott's Military Dictionary and several war-time manuals.

I suppose the apricot in the soldier's haversack remains problematical, except perhaps as a treat from home or the Sanitary Commission, but I will keep my eyes open for references in soldiers' diaries and journals. These have so many details that it's easy to overlook anything you're not actively searching for, as I discovered once I began revisiting old sources for details about writing and military paperwork. I even found a reference yesterday to "peaches and a fruit like it", which seemed especially tantalizing. :)

[wade03]

Hardtack packaging

Hey,
I'm planning for my next event and was wondering how soldiers were issued hardtack. Was it by pieces or were they packaged in say packs of 10 just like cartridges were? If they were packaged up in small groups, what did the packaging look like?
Thank You

[IowaYank]

Re: Hardtack packaging

Hardtack came in large boxes with I believe approx. 1000 pieces per box. Men were issued as many as needed straight out of the box.