Tweet
Spent some time yesterday perusing record group 192, and found a few interesting tidbits, as well as a few items for future digging. Let's start with a few myths.
Myth #1: There were no split peas during the CW.
Yep, we've all heard this one 1,000 times, yet keep seeing evidence to the contrary. Someone really should have told good Capt. Brigham of Boston about this, on or before 30 Nov 63, because he had 90,697 pounds of split peas on hand. Not "peas," or "pease," but specifically listed as "split peas" on this, and several other "Statement of the Cost of Rations." The rate of issue was 15 pounds per hundred, by the way.
Myth #2: Green coffee wasn't issued to the troops.
That green coffee referenced in so many accounts it surely isn't a brand name, but 1,952 pounds of "Green Coffee" shows up in a report similar to the one mentioned above dated 31 Aug 63. Roasted and ground coffee is listed in far larger quantities, and is listed as "R&G Coffee, Coffee R&G, or Coffee R & Gro." in other reports from the same station and individual. Further south, Fort Pickens breaks out "Rio" and "Java" as separate line items, and worth noting is Rio is intended for issue to enlisted men, while the smaller quantity of Java is designated for sale to officers.
Myth #3: Grits didn't exist.
The great grit debate has dragged on for years. Maybe grits are not often mentioned by that name, but the federals were not only advertising for bids for large amounts of "ground hominy" in the Baltimore newspaper, but Boston had 50,000 pounds of hominy on hand in late 1863. The latter was not specifically listed as "ground."
Myth #4: Army bacon was not smoked.
Stumbled into a bundle of correspondence relating to a contractor who had underbid his bacon estimate by 5,000 pounds due to a failure to compensate for 10% shrinkage. Not only was the step by step process documented from when the green meat picked up at the depot, but the salting, smoking, culling, wrapping, and packaging was laid out in good order. No mention of pepper in this particular process; however, the newspaper advertisement was was included. Evidently, retracting a bid in 1862 was about as much fun as it is now.
Myth #5: Desiccated vegetables don't appear until 1862.
Other than the useful comments in Prairie Traveler, and a few scattered mentions, there isn't much out there for pre-war use, but this little gold mine from Lt. Williams in San Antonio, TX, is illustrative of just how much the folks in the SW were using "desiccated potatoes," and "desiccated mixed vegetables. He asked for 6,680 pounds of the former, and 8,400 pounds of the latter, which represented rations for six months. Lt. Williams' order was identical to Captain Blair's previous order on 5 Apr 1859.
Myth #6: The Army didn't issue canned meat until the Span-Am War.
The 30,000 pounds of "canned meat" (note the use of "canned" instead of "tinned" ) at Fort Pickens in 1862 is fascinating. No word as to the size of the cans, or what type of meat was stored within. From previous finds, we know the confederates were using imported canned beef as early as June 1864, and probably earlier.
Myth #7: They never got fish!
The inventory figure of 22,500 pounds of cod ready for shipment in late October 1863, gives a few hints; however, no mention is made as to whether the cod is salted and boxed/barreled, or butterfly split, salted, and dried. A specimen of the latter was located, transported, deep fried in lard, and immensely enjoyed at Cap'n Rob Carter's Fish House at Winter 1864.
Enough of that fun, but a few other tidbits are worth mentioning. When we moderns think of bacon, we typically mean side meat; however, "bacon shoulders" and "bacon hams" are specifically mentioned alongside "bacon sides" in the period spreadsheets. Fresh and salt meat are listed as separate line items. Of note is beef tongue or ox tongue, and in places 10,000 pounds or more were listed on-hand.
Stearite candles are frequently seen in the requests as "Adamantine" or just "Ada." candles. One request did specify "sperm. candles."
"Yellow coffee sugar" was seen in a request. That's not melado.
What a fort would do with 2,400 pounds of bean flour is a mystery to me. I know what that is in modern terms, but not in period use. Soup thickening? Unleavened heavy bread? Mortar? ;)
I wish the pickles had been broken out by type. One depot had 330 barrels of "pickles" up from 222 barrels the month before. One summer 1863 entry that was tantalizing, but difficult to discerne left us wondering if the depot had 2,520 "cases" or "cans" of tomatoes.
As always, more questions raised than answered, and this is a good thing. A heck of a lot of the usual stuff, like dried peaches, dried apples, corn meal, soft bread, etc., were merely reconfirmed. Not much new to see there other than the sheer volume. Unfortunately, most of the useful information in these files have been long since tossed away, and only the transmittal letters remain; however, in between the beef contract disuputes, the tales of woe about lost wagons (reports of survey for you modern types), and a lot of dust and dirty are few gold nuggets to add to the collection.
On a good month, it cost approximately 17 cents per ration to feed a man. On a bad month, the price was getting close to 20 cents.
On to the next 21 boxes of records....
Myth #1: There were no split peas during the CW.
Yep, we've all heard this one 1,000 times, yet keep seeing evidence to the contrary. Someone really should have told good Capt. Brigham of Boston about this, on or before 30 Nov 63, because he had 90,697 pounds of split peas on hand. Not "peas," or "pease," but specifically listed as "split peas" on this, and several other "Statement of the Cost of Rations." The rate of issue was 15 pounds per hundred, by the way.
Myth #2: Green coffee wasn't issued to the troops.
That green coffee referenced in so many accounts it surely isn't a brand name, but 1,952 pounds of "Green Coffee" shows up in a report similar to the one mentioned above dated 31 Aug 63. Roasted and ground coffee is listed in far larger quantities, and is listed as "R&G Coffee, Coffee R&G, or Coffee R & Gro." in other reports from the same station and individual. Further south, Fort Pickens breaks out "Rio" and "Java" as separate line items, and worth noting is Rio is intended for issue to enlisted men, while the smaller quantity of Java is designated for sale to officers.
Myth #3: Grits didn't exist.
The great grit debate has dragged on for years. Maybe grits are not often mentioned by that name, but the federals were not only advertising for bids for large amounts of "ground hominy" in the Baltimore newspaper, but Boston had 50,000 pounds of hominy on hand in late 1863. The latter was not specifically listed as "ground."
Myth #4: Army bacon was not smoked.
Stumbled into a bundle of correspondence relating to a contractor who had underbid his bacon estimate by 5,000 pounds due to a failure to compensate for 10% shrinkage. Not only was the step by step process documented from when the green meat picked up at the depot, but the salting, smoking, culling, wrapping, and packaging was laid out in good order. No mention of pepper in this particular process; however, the newspaper advertisement was was included. Evidently, retracting a bid in 1862 was about as much fun as it is now.
Myth #5: Desiccated vegetables don't appear until 1862.
Other than the useful comments in Prairie Traveler, and a few scattered mentions, there isn't much out there for pre-war use, but this little gold mine from Lt. Williams in San Antonio, TX, is illustrative of just how much the folks in the SW were using "desiccated potatoes," and "desiccated mixed vegetables. He asked for 6,680 pounds of the former, and 8,400 pounds of the latter, which represented rations for six months. Lt. Williams' order was identical to Captain Blair's previous order on 5 Apr 1859.
Myth #6: The Army didn't issue canned meat until the Span-Am War.
The 30,000 pounds of "canned meat" (note the use of "canned" instead of "tinned" ) at Fort Pickens in 1862 is fascinating. No word as to the size of the cans, or what type of meat was stored within. From previous finds, we know the confederates were using imported canned beef as early as June 1864, and probably earlier.
Myth #7: They never got fish!
The inventory figure of 22,500 pounds of cod ready for shipment in late October 1863, gives a few hints; however, no mention is made as to whether the cod is salted and boxed/barreled, or butterfly split, salted, and dried. A specimen of the latter was located, transported, deep fried in lard, and immensely enjoyed at Cap'n Rob Carter's Fish House at Winter 1864.
Enough of that fun, but a few other tidbits are worth mentioning. When we moderns think of bacon, we typically mean side meat; however, "bacon shoulders" and "bacon hams" are specifically mentioned alongside "bacon sides" in the period spreadsheets. Fresh and salt meat are listed as separate line items. Of note is beef tongue or ox tongue, and in places 10,000 pounds or more were listed on-hand.
Stearite candles are frequently seen in the requests as "Adamantine" or just "Ada." candles. One request did specify "sperm. candles."
"Yellow coffee sugar" was seen in a request. That's not melado.
What a fort would do with 2,400 pounds of bean flour is a mystery to me. I know what that is in modern terms, but not in period use. Soup thickening? Unleavened heavy bread? Mortar? ;)
I wish the pickles had been broken out by type. One depot had 330 barrels of "pickles" up from 222 barrels the month before. One summer 1863 entry that was tantalizing, but difficult to discerne left us wondering if the depot had 2,520 "cases" or "cans" of tomatoes.
As always, more questions raised than answered, and this is a good thing. A heck of a lot of the usual stuff, like dried peaches, dried apples, corn meal, soft bread, etc., were merely reconfirmed. Not much new to see there other than the sheer volume. Unfortunately, most of the useful information in these files have been long since tossed away, and only the transmittal letters remain; however, in between the beef contract disuputes, the tales of woe about lost wagons (reports of survey for you modern types), and a lot of dust and dirty are few gold nuggets to add to the collection.
On a good month, it cost approximately 17 cents per ration to feed a man. On a bad month, the price was getting close to 20 cents.
On to the next 21 boxes of records....
Comment