Civil War Nutrition

Key Vocabulary

• Malnutrition - lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat
• Food Poisoning - illness caused by bacteria or other toxins in food, typically with vomiting and diarrhea
• Culinary – dealing with cooking
• Scurvy – a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C, characterized by swollen bleeding gums and the opening of previously healed wounds
• Blockades - sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving
• Harbors - a place on the coast where vessels may find shelter, especially one protected from rough water by piers, jetties, and other artificial structures.
• Forage – searching one’s environment for food or other provisions

Civil War Food by Rebecca Beatrice Brook, 2013

Civil War Food

The types of food that were popular during the Civil War was very different from the food we eat today.

Due to war-time food shortages and a lack of both refrigeration and large-scale food processing, most meals were simple, easy to prepare dishes made from basic ingredients that could be grown in a garden or purchased and stored easily.

What Did Civil War Soldiers Eat?

Food rations in the military were delivered to Union soldiers by volunteers in the United States Sanitary Commission. The purpose of the commission was to ensure that Civil War soldiers were fed healthy and nutritional meals to prevent malnutrition and food poisoning.

Nutrition

Since the focus was on health and nutrition, not culinary delight, and there were around 2 million soldiers to feed, the food tended to be bland, basic and simple. Each soldier’s daily rations included:

1. Three-quarters of a pound of pork or bacon, or one and one-quarter pound of fresh or salt pork
2. Eighteen ounces of flour or bread or 12 ounces of hardtack
3. One and one-quarter pound of cornmeal

Hardtack, also known as “army bread,” was type of hard, dry biscuit that soldiers had to soak in water and fry in grease or pork fat in order to eat.

Each unit was also given a food ration in addition to each soldier’s individual ration. A 100- man company was given:

Nutrition

1. Eight quarts of peas or beans, or 10 pounds of rice
2. Six to 10 pounds of coffee or one and one-half pounds of tea
3. Twelve to 15 pounds of sugar
4. Two quarts of salt

Vegetables, dried fruits, pickles and pickled cabbage were sometimes issued to prevent scurvy but only in small quantities. Other foods soldiers occasionally ate included baked beans, hardtack pudding, ashcakes and milk toast.

When weather or nearby fighting interrupted food deliveries, soldiers often had to forage for food. In extreme cases, such as during the Battle of Vicksburg, the soldiers had to eat rats, cats, bullfrogs and dogs, according to the book The Civil War Book of Lists.

Nutrition

The Confederate army provided its soldiers with the same rations as Union soldiers but food shortages in the south, caused by blockades of southern harbors, often made many of the ingredients hard to come by which forced many of the soldiers to hunt or forage for food.

As a result, boiled peanuts, which were an abundant crop in the south, became a staple of the Confederate army’s diet.

Analysis

• Go back to the list of essential nutrients in the first nutrition lesson. Based on the list of what soldiers were eating on slide 5, what nutrients were readily available to them? In what nutrients were likely deficient?
• Read the article found at the following link: Civil War Food
• Identify similarities and differences between the descriptions found in the article shared on slides 3-6 and the article in the link. What new information was presented?
• How would the soldiers’ diet have affected their ability to fight and survive illness (Hint – Assess their vitamin and mineral intake based on what you learned about their diets.)
• Look back at your written predictions from the first nutrition lesson. How does what you have learned support your predictions? How has your understanding of the nutritional health of Civil War soldiers changed?

Health Education Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools

4.1 The student will explain how nutrition affects personal health and academic achievement. Key concepts/skills include

• a) the nutrients needed for proper brain functioning;
• b) the importance of balance, variety, and moderation in a meal plan;
• c) the effects of malnutrition;
• d) the impact of nutrients on growth and development;
• e) the impact of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins on physical performance.

7.2 The student will describe and exhibit the behaviors associated with a physically active and healthy lifestyles. a) the effects of nutrition on daily performance;