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I've been reading this diary by John Beauchamp Jones:
and have realized, however belatedly, that he not only chronicled the major political happenings of the day (as well as an idea of how wild and wrong rumors could be!), but also--
--what an average family's food order for a week was, and what it would cost at the beginning of the war
--what rent was for various buildings in and around Richmond at various times
--how much prices rose (in Confederate money) for exactly what items and when:
"MAY 23D.(1862)--Oh, the extortioners! Meats of all kinds are selling at 50
cts. per pound; butter, 75 cts.; coffee, $1.50; tea, $10; boots, $30 per
pair; shoes, $18; ladies' shoes, $15; shirts, $6 each. Houses that
rented for $500 last year, are $1000 now. Boarding, from $30 to $40 per
month."
--what the weather was like
--what was being planted and harvested, including the varieties of some seeds and how they produced:
"MAY 15TH.--From my window at the top of the house, I see corn in silk
and tassel. Three days ago the corn I saw was not three inches high. And
blackberries are in season. Strawberries and peas are gone."
--when commanders warned of food or clothing shortages and what action was (or more often wasn't) taken
In general, much of what he says bears out what I had suspected: the army was supposed to get the lion's share of available food and clothing, but it only got as far as various railroad depots. At one point before Christmas 1863 he's lamenting the difficulty of finding anything to eat (and rejoicing because he was allowed to buy a beef shin bone for a dollar or two) while tons of sweet potatoes were rotting on the platforms of railroads coming out of the Carolinas.
and have realized, however belatedly, that he not only chronicled the major political happenings of the day (as well as an idea of how wild and wrong rumors could be!), but also--
--what an average family's food order for a week was, and what it would cost at the beginning of the war
--what rent was for various buildings in and around Richmond at various times
--how much prices rose (in Confederate money) for exactly what items and when:
"MAY 23D.(1862)--Oh, the extortioners! Meats of all kinds are selling at 50
cts. per pound; butter, 75 cts.; coffee, $1.50; tea, $10; boots, $30 per
pair; shoes, $18; ladies' shoes, $15; shirts, $6 each. Houses that
rented for $500 last year, are $1000 now. Boarding, from $30 to $40 per
month."
--what the weather was like
--what was being planted and harvested, including the varieties of some seeds and how they produced:
"MAY 15TH.--From my window at the top of the house, I see corn in silk
and tassel. Three days ago the corn I saw was not three inches high. And
blackberries are in season. Strawberries and peas are gone."
--when commanders warned of food or clothing shortages and what action was (or more often wasn't) taken
In general, much of what he says bears out what I had suspected: the army was supposed to get the lion's share of available food and clothing, but it only got as far as various railroad depots. At one point before Christmas 1863 he's lamenting the difficulty of finding anything to eat (and rejoicing because he was allowed to buy a beef shin bone for a dollar or two) while tons of sweet potatoes were rotting on the platforms of railroads coming out of the Carolinas.
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