Vicksburg Victuals

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Herb,

Could we not make pie from peas? As for me, I am guessing hardtack will be the fare of choice (at least better than moldy, green, pea bread).

Jim Butler

[Alamo Guard]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

I found the following in the book "The Confederate Reader" by Richard B. Harwell, Barnes and Noble press 1992.
It gives an account of what was served at the local Vicksburg Hotel during the seige, we all know it was a rude and melancholy burlesque:

Hotel De Vicksburg

Bill of fare for July,1863


Soup - Mule Tail

Boiled- Mule bacon with pike greens
-Mule ham canvassed

Roast- Mule Sirloin
- Mule Rump stuffed with rice

Vegtables

Peas and rice.

ENTREES

Mule head stuffed a-la-mode
Mule beef jerked a-la- Mexicanna
Mule Ears fricassed a-la-gotch
Mule sides stwed, new style, hair on
Mule spare ribs plain
Mule liver, hashed

SIDE DISHES

Mule Salad
Mule hoof soused
Mule brains a-la-omelette
Mule Kidney stuffed with peas
Mule tripe fired in pea meal batter
Mule tounge cold a-la-Bray

JELLIES

Mule foot

PASTRY

Pea meal pudding, blackberry sauce
Cotton-wood berry pies
China berry tart

DES(s)ERT

White-oak acorns
Beech Nuts
Blackberry leaf tea
Genuine Confederate Coffee

LIQUORS

Mississippi Water, vintage 1498, superior $3.00
Limestone water, late importation, very fine $2.75
Spring water, Vicksburg brand $1.50

Meals at all hours. Gentlemen to wait upon themselves. Any inatttention on the part of servants will be promtly reported at the office.

JEFF. DAVIS & CO., Proprietors

Card. _ The proprietors of the justly celebrated Hotel are now prepared to accomodate all who may favor them with a call. Parties arriving by the river, or Grant's inland route, with find Grape, Canister, & Co's carriages at the landing, or any depot on the line of entrenchments. Buck, Ball & Co., take charge of all baggage. No effort will be spared to make the visit of all as interesting as possible.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

From what I gather the Pea bread idea was pretty quickly abandoned. Much like the rat, it's been blown into an exaggerated story. A lot of odd things do appear in the ORs and several really well known HISTORY BOOKS. I say that because one of the most "beloved" authors about Vicksburg doesn't document his sources...anyway.

Kittens, dogs, crawfish and mutton all show up, but frankly mule meat was brought into common practice fairly early on. When Vicksburg surrendered they had around 38,000 lbs of salt pork on hand, which was roughly one pound per man woman and child in the town (remember Grant would not allow citizens out of town, in hopes of running the food supply out faster)

Pat,
Since the "Pea-Bread and Mule Thing" is over-rated...we could have a crawfish boil..;)

[Brigand]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Mule can be quite tasty when marinated for several weeks in essence of coffee...or the other way around. Can't remember for sure as it also dulls the senses.

Robert Hooker

[Charles Heath]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Robert,

I see you are in the Williamsburg area. If you planning to head to the Vicksburg NPS LH, check with the fellows from Richmond who are also heading that way, as you may be able to carpool. Quite a bit of interest in this event from some far corners of the hobby.

[coastaltrash]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Dale,
I never said mule meat was over rated, nor pea bread. Crawfish was a forage item from the area and came much later in the siege.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Grant's memoir, I believe in the first page or two in the chapter titled, "The Siege of Vicksburg", has some interesting info on Federal rations during the siege.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Other than Johnston's constant BS, I honestly don't see any reference to a breakout,

It's probably worth remembering that Pemberton was dead set on staying in Vicksburg and defending it. He was very reluctant to do as Johnston at first suggested and then (I believe) ordered: to abandon Vicksburg and march northeast to link up with Johnston. I believe that Pemberton always intended to defend the city, but never really had much chance to stock in food for a siege.

There was a belief by many that Vicksburg was impregnable, which was buttressed by the fact that, despite Federal efforts to get at the city starting in mid-1862, until late April 1863 no Yank had yet successfully set foot on dry ground on the east bank of the river in the vicinity of Vicksburg. And Grant didn't leave a lot to chance: he masterfully staged a lot of diversions to keep Pemberton and his subordinates guessing about Yank intensions; even after Grant had most of his army at Carthage, well below Vicksburg with a plan to cross at Grand Gulf, he was still staging elaborate diversions at Milliken's Bend and Chickasaw Bayou with Sherman's corps. Also, don't forget that the main Yank diversion during this time was Grierson's Raid, which had Pemberton's rapt attention, and even Johnston's, and was doing a good job at helping temporarily cut CS communications in central Mississippi. Thus, Grant was across the river in force and had already defeated Bowen and was on his way to Raymond before Pemberton even knew Grant was across the river in strength. Then he sort-of heeded Johnston's advice to come out and fight, but still left 10,000 men in Vicksburg. Within three weeks, Pemberton's temporarily demoralized army was penned up tight in Vicksburg and Grant was at the front door. I doubt the Confederates had much time during that three weeks to lay in many supplies.

[Brigand]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Charles,

Thanks pard. I'm not sure if I can make Vicksburg or not,(still recovering from the marinated mule) but if I can I'll look them up.

Robert Hooker

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, he's just brave 5 minutes longer"

[coastaltrash]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Kevin,
Pemberton was sent to and given the command of the Department mainly to protect the supply line that ran through Vicksburg. The products that came through there supplied war materials not only to the army, but made it possible to get the much needed meat source to the people of the Confederacy as a whole. Grant never intended to lay siege to Vicksburg, in fact it was a last ditch effort. He assaulted on the 19th and made a general assault on the 22nd before he finally got a clue.

Johnston did not step foot in the area until right before the fall of Jackson on May 15, after Grant crossed at Bruinsburg Landing. He's sending out orders of combine combine combine, when he really has nothing to combine with Pemberton, at least not until his Army of Relief (32,000 eventually) is formed but never does anything to even aid Vicksburg. The last message Johnston sent to Pemberton was telling him to make a break for it and meet up with him. That's real damn intelligent right there, considering that was on July 3.

Truth be told, the smartest thing Pemberton could have done was at every cost attempt to save that line, he had stored food in the city, but not enough for a Siege that on the onslaught of the campaign neither commander counted on having. Pemberton actually started stocking the garrison when he arrived in late 62, and had to be told to release some of the supplies at one point. I also believe, like many of the original soldiers North and South, that Pemberton honestly thought Johnston was going to come to his aid, since that's what he was there to do. Johnston's inability to act is probably what got him shuffled around to so many places. I mean when you get replaced by Hood thats kind of like getting replaced by a one armed, one legged retarded monkey at your own job.

[Shotgun Messiah]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Dale,
I never said mule meat was over rated, nor pea bread. The item was a forage item from the area and came much later in the siege.

Okay just a question then... what stage of the seige are we representing June 8th thru 10th perhaps, a very rugged and brutal time during the seige.... if'n you ask me...persistant shelling and constant sniping and seige works being thrust forth with counter works being chucked up at the same time...
Food be damned I am here to kill of bluebellies....

[Charles Heath]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Speaking of vittles, this is a right nice, if brief, article about Grant's lessons learned from Mexico under Scott as applied to Vicksburg:

http://www.almc.army.mil/ALOG/issues/JanFeb03/MS732.htm

Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then.

[Coatsy]

Re: Vicksburg Victuals

Jim, if we can find someone mad enough to make the PeaBread Pie then I'll share the honors of testing said pie with you.

All of the food talk, Jonhston having a case of the slows, and Grant's Bruckheimerian explosions in the Confederate works make for a great spark to do more reading. Thanks all.