Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

[Pvt.Gustavsson]

I hope I found the right place in this forum to posy my questions.

Can anyone here tell me more specifically what kind of rations the Confederate forces fighting in that battle would have been issued around that time. Also, what kind of other food, non issued, would be right for that time and place specifically. I am making an effort for the 150th Bentonville event ...

Sincerely,

Mikael Gustafsson

[PMFerringer]

Re: Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

Try the search function. I found several general references listed. Additionally, your best resource is to read late war Confederate accounts. There are many readily attainable books out there that describe the day to day of the last few months of the war. I think you will have more success if you focus on the period of late 1964 to the end of the war rather than limiting your research to an individual battle. You will find more representative information to base your decisions on. There is an article in the SCAR Revised Campaigner College Handbook, 2014, that describes the types of vegetables appropriate for the period and the times of year they were available.

Hope this helps.

[Pvt.Gustavsson]

Re: Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

Thank you. I did try the search function. I guess I'm not good at it. Well , I sounds like I need to get a hold of that handbook. I have seen posts about it on facebook. And I also have some knowledgeable in my company so I should be okay.

sincerely,

Mikael Gustafsson

[PMFerringer]

Re: Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

You're welcome. The handbook is a good reference. Some general google searches regarding late war Confederate diaries will bring up some good books that will have some information written first hand. Good luck.

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

Hi Mikel, although this doesn’t apply to CS forces at Bentonville this link has some great info about rations equipment etc.

http://www.blueandgraymarching.com/

Maybe even try a search on the National Achieves website and see if anything turns up.

Also, when you use the search function you may have to try several different word combinations in order to yield the results you are looking for.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

Pardon me, if I give a run-down without specifically citing sources for every example. As others have indicated a lot of this will be predicated by theatre of operation (East vs. West, Virginia...North Carolina...Georgia...etc.)

Given that the historical event was March, that places a predominance on goods which could effectively be stored over-winter...fresh produce is probably NOT an option for you. This would also place the event at the end of winter stores (e.g. while researching CS Rations in the Valley for Breckenridge's Army Spring 1864, Echols makes particularly note that no more food can be impressed from the civilian populace, "the winter stores are exhausted, and we have but a few small potatoes").

Another example, really illustrating the plight of the CS forces in Petersburg, may be found in the published book, Letters to Amanda, in which a Georgia boy writes home to indicate, "We've had not but a few Sweet Potatoes, but plenty of good ole twist".

As we prepare for the conclusion of the 150ths, specifically regarding the CS troops engaged in the last battles (Bentonville, Sailor's Creek), the overwhelming documentation seems to exists that the CS Troops were worn mangled forms, having sufficed with scant food and little protein in their diets in the during the last days of the war. A couple elements seem to pop-up over and over again;
Protein: when available as issued meats, it's the bits and pieces, nothing real fancy, almost always cured...
Staple: cornmeal - cornmeal - cornmeal...it would appear that starting in the winter of 1862 at least the CS forces in Virginia had more cornmeal in their diet than they cared to eat, there seem to be few exceptions. This was often augmented with crackers, common convention tends to lean towards round 'ship's biscuits', probably because at least two documented crackers exists in predominant collections (e.g. MoC), and are listed as Confederate Hardtack.
Vegetable: when noted it's small potatoes/ sweet potatoes...I have yet to see an recollection/ issue record where CS troops were issued onions, scallions....etc. If these were present in the diet, these must have been foraged.
Stimulants: while the Federal Army issued Coffee (both green AND roasted), the CS Army consistently (at least in the Virginia theatre) issued tobacco (both plugs AND twists).

Charles Heath did a few articles for the Civil War Historian magazine years ago, hitting on both seasonal varieties, and also Federal Issue Rations. The Columbia Rifles Research Compendium also have VERY detailed descriptions of the Federal Issue Ration. Some folks base their entire contribution to the hobby, centering around bits of minutia like this, and it sometimes can get VERY difficult to give a definite answer.

Paul B.

[JLH]

Re: Confederate rations, Battle of Bentonville 1865

Boiled Leather derived from shoes and strips cut from saddles. Horse meat, although no Cavalryman would kill their horse for food, those that fell in battle or injured beyond repair, made it to the stew pot. Wild greens found along the trails and the most popular, liberated Yankee Rations.