16 Civil War Recipes Made for Soldiers (2024)

FAQs

What was a typical meal for Civil War soldiers? ›

These rations allotted just over a pound of meat, likely beef or pork, just under a pound of "hard bread," and a small collection of dried vegetables. The most common form of hard bread, was called hard tack, a basic wheat biscuit that did not easily decay and could survive a rough march.

Gail Borden's invention of condensed milk was very helpful for the Union army. Soldiers would also regularly drink coffee, however it was not always entirely coffee beans. Dandelion root served as a supplement or Ersatz good when coffee beans were scarce.

During the Civil War, the Union Army had two types of rations: "marching rations" and "camp rations." Marching rations consisted of sixteen ounces of hard bread, also known as "hardtack"; twelve ounces of salt pork or twenty ounces of fresh meat; and sugar, coffee, and salt.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, soldiers were given two meals a day. This was usually simple, slow-perishing food like salted pork or boiled beef, along with some bread.

The most common food given to soldiers was bread, coffee, and salt pork. The typical ration for every Union soldier was about a pound of meat and a pound of bread or flour. The Confederacy started out following the same rules. As the war went on, they weren't able to keep up.

During the Civil War one of the most common meals for soldiers was a cracker-like food called hardtack. Hardtack is made from flour, water, and salt.

And if in season, they might have fresh carrots, onions, turnips and potatoes. The Confederate soldier typically had bacon, cornmeal, tea, sugar, molasses and, infrequently, fresh vegetables.

A ringing statement, for which unwitting support can be found from no less than the beau ideal of the Confederacy. Lee, who loved his black cook's fried chicken, once said that all he wanted was "a Virginia farm — no end of cream and fresh butter — and fried chicken.

“Families also sent food to their soldiers, things like canned lobster, pickles and fresh vegetables. The mail service was pretty good,” he said. To avoid carrying their rations, some soldiers “gobbled them up and then went hungry for a few days,” Burke said. “Hunger was common.”

Did Civil War soldiers drink alcohol? ›

The consumption of alcohol was relatively common among soldiers living in camp or stationed in large cities. Civil War surgeons typically only hospitalized soldiers for drunkenness if they were suffering severe effects. It was uncommon for a soldier to spend the night in a hospital ward for simply being drunk.

If you're like me, every morning, I wake up and have a cup of coffee (or two or three). Coffee was also an essential part of a Civil War soldier's routine. They drank their coffee whenever they could, refueling themselves for the long days and nights ahead.

On the other side of the battlefield, the Continental Congress set the daily rations of the Continental Army soldiers at one pound of bread, half a pound of beef, and half a pound of pork (or one and one-quarter pound of beef, if no pork was available), one pint of milk, one quart of spruce or malt beer, and one gill ( ...

Soldiers also organized debate societies, composed music, sang songs, wrestled, raced horses, boxed, and played sports. Music was popular among the soldiers of both armies, creating a diversion from the boredom and atrocities of the war. As a result, soldiers often sang on fatigue duty and while in camp.

It resembles uncut bacon, but, as the name suggests, is highly salted — often too highly during the war. Excess salt was usually scraped off and used to flavor other rations. Taste it today: Salt pork has become a traditional part of different American cuisines and is available in grocery stores throughout the country.

According to army regulations for daily camp rations, a Union soldier was entitled to receive 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. 4 oz of salt or fresh beef; 1 lb. 6 oz of soft bread or flour or 1 lb. of hard bread (hardtack), or 4 oz of cornmeal.

The William Underwood Company of Boston became prominent, supplying canned food to expeditions and Civil War combatants.

So much beef, pork, mutton, grain, sugar, salt, peas, beans, flour and corn meal was shipped away that Texas became known as the breadbasket of the Confederacy.

With a full cartridge box, three days of rations, rifle-musket, and extra clothing, the typical Soldier's load weighed about fifty pounds. Soldiers quickly learned what they did and did not need and would lighten their burdens over time.