Monday, April 21, 2014

R is for RATIONS

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

(Kathy’s A to Z posts are tidbits of fact gleaned from her research for her historical-fiction novel LIKE A RIVER.)

In the early days of Andersonville Prison, rations for the prisoners were meager. At first, cornmeal and meat were doled out, but since cooking utensils and firewood were scarce, many had no way to cook the meat or bake bread from the meal. A cookhouse was set up, but as new prisoners were brought in, some days only half the camp was fed.

Eventually, large slabs of cornbread were baked and brought into the camp once a day. Sometimes bacon was also given out. However, flies that landed in the bread dough were baked into the bread. Many times, cob was ground up with the corn and baked into this daily ration. It caused severe inflammation in the prisoners’ stomachs.
cornbread
As Union troops invaded the South, destroying crops and burning warehouses, food became scarce for Confederate soldiers and Southern civilians. Prisoners’ daily ration of cornbread became smaller and smaller. Scurvy (caused by malnutrition) was rampant, and many starved to death.

Overall, military rations during the Civil War were lacking. Hardtack was the go-to when other rations grew scarce. Hardtack was a hard, cracker-like biscuit, and it was not uncommon to find it infested with insects. I saw a piece of hardtack (vaguely resembling a Pop-Tart) in a museum in 1996. It had survived since the Civil War.
two different styles of hardtack

But military rations have never been something to rave about. My USMC son showed me the MRE’s (Meals-Ready-to-Eat) they eat in the field. Military life still isn’t easy.

14 comments:

  1. Hi Kathy - rations of any sort, but particularly those of years gone by, must have been very difficult to stomach, let alone find or be provided with ...

    We're looking at the War years now - 100 years since WW1 ... and we are so lucky to live today - and even though your son's rations aren't fun .. I bet they were considerably better than fare of years gone by ...

    It's so good to be reminded of what was what ... I'd rather not be rationed though ... Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't want to eat rations either. My son admitted that in the field, any food was better than nothing. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  2. Another fascinating post. I recently read ROSE UNDER FIRE by Elizabeth Wein and UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand. Both books have horrific descriptions of the prisoners' food. In Japanese prison camps, prisoners were given a few vegetables and white rice, so scurvy was less common that beriberi. Apparently they were getting enough ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) but not enough thiamin (Vitamin B1).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's amazing that people survived at all with no knowledge of nutrition or vitamins. I'm glad to live today. Thanks, Ann. Do you recommend those books?

      Delete
  3. Yuck on the flies in the cornbread. We're so lucky we've never had to ration food.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fascinating. I've also read some historical books involving war. It's amazing what the soldiers endured--starvation was a real issue even back in our war for independence. It really solidifies that they must have believed in what they were fighting for in order to starve for it.

    Hope you are enjoying the A to Z challenge! Here’s my A to Z Post on Memorable Characters

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Steph. It's hard to imagine how different the world might be if various military folks hadn't hadn't believed in their cause. I enjoyed your post on Rogue. It tells of the down side of a super power.

      Delete
  5. From the Civil War? That's an old piece of bread.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They definitely made it to last, but I doubt they had a clue as to how long it could.

      Delete
  6. Yikes. I can't believe that hard tack is still around - I wonder what it did in people's stomachs??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thinking about it makes me feel a little sick, but with the preservatives in our food today, it might be similar. Thanks for your comment, Liz.

      Delete
  7. reminds me of what they put into chicken nuggets...
    and funny you talk about hard tack - a friend sent me her cover reveal info and mentions it for her post civil war romance! ha!

    learning so much with these a to z posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting about your friend. Hardtack was a staple for the military during the Civil War. Thanks, Tara.

      Delete