Hardtack & Coffee

[Cumpston1862]

If you browse around HD pictures of large groups of Civil War soldiers sometimes you can find little details you may have passed over even if you have seen the picture many times over many years. In this picture you can see a Union soldier holding up a piece of hardtack and his tin cup of coffee.

Hardtack and coffee its what's for dinner...and lunch...and breakfast.

 

[rhp6033]

Sometimes you are lucky to get that. At Chattanooga, both Union and Confederate armies suffered from hunger from the lack of provisions. In the Camden expedition a day out of town Union soldiers were put on half rations, and later would do without entirely - a hardtack bisquit was said to be exchanged for a gold watch.

There is the legend of the young southern man, just turned 18 years old in January 1865, who was sent off to war in response to the draft. His mother gave him a handful of cornbread and ham for his journey, expecting that he would be fed when he arrived. Times being dire, he was assigned directly to a unit. "You are lucky", one of the veterans told him. "We draw our rations in about an hour". The young man got a single hardtack bisquite and about 4 ounces of salt pork, which he wolfed down with relish. Then he noticed everyone was looking at him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "We just never saw anyone eat three day's rations in one sitting before now" his new comrads replied.

 

[donna]

It so true, Hardtack and Coffee kept many a soldier alive. Even though they made many bad remarks about hardtack. They were glad they had it at times.