Food for thought: Challenges of feeding troops through Civil War

Editor?s note: As part of the nation?s 150-year anniversary of the Civil War, the Henry County Civil War Sesquicentennial Task Force will be publishing a monthly column, written by Henry County historians. The research for the articles comes from Henry County newspapers published between 1861-1865, as well as diaries, journals and letters written by Henry County Civil War soldiers and their families.

By JOY LYNN CONWELL

Lot Abraham, Henry County soldier with the 4th Iowa Calvary, noted in his journal on July 4, 1864, ?we expected a fighting celebration to begin early this morning. I had my battalion ready before day. It turned out to fall quiet?I remained quietly in the shade all day. Had a good dinner. I enjoyed it fine.?

On July 5, 1864, Lt. O.C. Shelton of the 45th Iowa Regiment, a Mt. Pleasant native and brother of Mary and Rhoda Amanda Shelton, wrote in his diary, ?Yesterday was the glorious fourth ? and in the morning Capt. Crowder was sent out with a foraging party. A little after noon he came back with one cow some sheep chickens and a variety of vegetables. So we had a good supper and as a result this morning only one man is reported off duty which is better than we have done since we left the boat at Memphis.?

The journals of Abraham and Shelton provide insight into the lives of the Henry County soldiers during the war. Both educated men, they regularly committed their thoughts, desires and hopes to the pages of their diaries. These diaries serve as a detailed record of life on the lines?.and the importance of simple things like food and friendships.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said that ?an army marches on its stomach?, and Lt. Shelton noted on July 5 that because of the influx of food available on July 4; that all of his unit?s men reported for muster that morning except one. This statement reflects a common problem during the war when soldiers abandoned their units and their duties, simply because they were hungry and were searching for something to eat.

In July of 1864, the reputation of General Sherman?s men to strip the land of anything edible was legendary as he sought to feed his troops as they marched to the sea. And the suffering of the Confederate forces from lack of food was known throughout the country. Even the prisoners at the renowned Civil War prison, Andersonville, noted that by the end of war their guards were eating what they were served and that fresh rats and snakes were considered a delicacy. Malnutrition and scurvy became new enemies for both Union and Confederate soldiers.

The common food of the war for both North and South was a form of bread. For the North, it was hardtack or ship?s biscuits. Because of its texture, Union soldiers nicknamed it, teeth-dullers, sheet-iron crackers and flour tile. Sometimes letters and diaries record it being referred to as ?worm castles? because of the weevils and maggots in the crackers.

For the South, it was corn bread. When leavening agents were not available, the Southern soldiers settled for Johnny Cakes and Cush, a mixture of scraps of meat with cornmeal thickened with grease.

The Union Blockade of southern ports cut off all tea and coffee to the South, so the Confederate soldiers brewed a hot beverage from whatever was available?peanuts, chicory, okra, wheat, corn, bran and acorns.

The blockade also stopped the cotton industry. Instead, southern farmers began growing corn and sweet potatoes. This economic change actually benefited Union forces in the last days of the war. Union General William Tecumseh Sherman recorded, ?Convey to Jeff Davis my personal and official thanks for abolishing cotton and substituting corn and sweet potatoes in the south. These facilitate our military plans much, for food and forage are abundant.?

Yet as the final days of the war came, the consumption of whatever was available became the motto of hungry soldiers and prisoners, especially in the south. Units began to consume their horses and mules, while neighborhoods began to recognize the increasing disappearance of cats and dogs.

The four items that caused the most food related fights during the war were bread, meat, apples and pickles. Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, herself, recorded the shock of seeing Union soldiers fighting over food. And documents record that soldiers were actually court martialed and some beaten almost to death for stealing apples.

One saving grace for the Union forces came in the form of a new industry and one man?s work?.Gail Borden, Jr. In 1856, Borden received a patent for condensing milk by vacuum. In 1857, the New York Condensed Milk Company was founded. The result was canned milk with a sustainable shelf-life. With a large demand from the Union Army, Borden opened factories in upstate New York and Illinois. By the end of the war, New York Condensed Milk became part of the rations issued to Union soldiers. And it brought about a favorite dish popular in Civil War-era hospitals called ?milk toast,? made by heating the condensed milk and pouring it over hard tack until the tack was softened. A variation of this dish is still served in many homes today.

Other foods which trace their origins to the Civil War are Underwood Deviled Ham, Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, McIlhenny Company?s Tabasco Sauce and Van Camp?s Pork and Beans.

At the war?s end, the Confederate Army and southern civilians continued to suffer. The total breakdown of the South?s rail transportation system made it impossible to move food from the Midwest into the deep south where the need was the most critical. It was not until the opening of the sea blockade that needed supplies reached the hungry and destitute in the southern states.

The North civilians, however, suffered little during the war. Women and children stepped into the role of farmer for their men who went to war. Production actually increased and the efficiency of the established rail system allowed products to move to market across the north.

To experience life during the war, try making hard tack or Johnny Cake. Recipes courtesy of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission website.

Necessary Supplies for Hardtack:

2 cups flour

½ to ¾ cup water

Salt (5-6 pinches)

Mixing bowl

Rolling pin

Cookie Sheet

Fork

Instructions for Making Hardtack

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add all dry ingredients into the mixing bowl, and then add wet ingredients. Mix all ingredients together. Use extra flour if necessary to make sure the dough is no longer sticky. However, be careful not to make the dough too dry. If you add too much flour, add slightly more water.

3. Knead the dough until it is easy to work with.

4. Spread the dough onto the ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangular shape. Hardtack was around a half inch thick, so don?t worry about making the dough thin.

6. Bake the dough for 30 minutes.

7. Take the dough out of the oven and cut it into large squares (around 3 inches by 3 inches). Use a fork to poke 16 to 20 holes into each square.

8. Flip the squares and return to the oven for 30 more minutes.

9. Allow the hardtack to completely cool inside the oven. Be careful when biting into a cracker, as they do get very hard when completely cool.

Necessary Supplies for Johnny Cake:

2 cups cornmeal

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Mixing bowl

Cookie Sheet

Instructions for Making Johnny Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with butter or vegetable oil.

3. Mix all dry ingredients together in the mixing bowl.

4. Add all wet ingredients to the dry.

5. Mix together until the batter is very stiff.

6. Use a spoon to drop the batter onto the cookie sheet, very much like making ?drop biscuits.?

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned.

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

NOTE: The Lot Abraham and O.C. Shelton Civil War diaries are available on line courtesy the University of Iowa Libraries. http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cwd/