No Civil War sugar beets?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
So how did most people obtain sugar during the Civil War? Sugar beets were used in France during the Napoleonic Wars, but had failed to catch on here in the US. I assume the Union imported sugar from Caribbean sugar cane. Was the Confederacy able to be self sufficient in producing their own sugar or did they also import it?

Here in Michigan, sugar beets are a major crop, but attempts to produce sugar from sugar beets in Michigan were failures until the 1870s. Today sugar beets provide over a third of the nations sugar.
 
Napoleon was big on production of sugar from beets.

During 1838 to 1846 there was attempt to produce sugar from beets. There were 4 small factories. By 1855 last factory stopped production. During Civil War the South hardly had any sugar. I have looked but found no mention of beet production until after the war.

Actual development of sugar from beets started late 19th century. It was established in Alvarado, California.

see:

https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchens/history-beets/

This subject of sugar for South during Civil War does require more research on my part. Will look more.
 
Confederate sugar was produced primarily in Louisiana, with quantities also produced in Texas and Florida. Both sugar and molasses were huge consumers of railroad capacity as long as the Mississippi could be used. Unfortunately for the South, vast quantities of sugar and molasses were still on the docks when Memphis was captured, due to insufficient eastward RR capacity. Vicksburg also had trouble shipping eastward because of lack of rail space.

Texas production was unable to get out of the Trans-Mississippi. It was grown southwest of Houston in an area known as Sugarland. Florida production was small and had difficulty getting transportation north into Georgia.
 
Back
Top