SELECTING AND PREPARING FIELD RATIONS:

 

Usually, everyone in the 14th Tennessee brings provides their own food at events and prepares it themselves. Here is an example of what I usually bring:

 

Slab Bacon or Saltpork (about half a pound).

Cornmeal, Flour, or Hardtack.

An ear of corn or two or other fresh  vegetables.

Brown Sugar.

Goobers (peanuts).

Maybe an apple or two.

Coffee beans (or ground coffee).

 

A common mistake made by many reenactors is that they go through all of  the trouble getting authentic rations, but they bring them to the event in modern wrappers. Meat is still in its little styrofoam tray, veggies are in plastic bags, and goobers sealed in their wrapper. DO NOT DO THIS! ! There is not much worse for a reenactor who has gone the extra step to correctly package his food, then to hear the awful crinkling of a cellophane goober bag. If you don't want your head bit off, or to be known as a Farb, then package your food correctly.

 

Here are some things to do to avoid problems. Small cloth bags for putting food in, known as poke bags, are available at the sutlers. You can also take a piece of cotton cloth and make your own by folding it in half, then sewing the bottom and side shut. Large squares of cloth can be used to wrap food in and tied shut with string. Paper bags were not patented until after war.

 

Here are a couple of examples of what a soldier was typically issued while in the field. A soldier of the 16th Mississippi wrote in late March, 1863, that they were receiving 1/4 lb. of bacon, 18 oz.'s of flour, a handful of dried peas, and some dried fruit daily, and 1/10 of a lb. of rice every third day. He also mentioned catching fish to supplement his diet.

 

A similar report made by a clerk in Richmond in which he wrote that the food being issued in the army consisted of 1/4 lb. of meat and one lb. of flour daily, and a lb. of rice for every 10 men two or three times a week. In another report he wrote that a days ration of meat was 1/3 lb. in camp, and a 1/2 lb. on the march. These reports were made in April and June of 1863 respectively.

 

Of course, there were a lot of factors that affected the amount rations received. The soldier from the 16th Miss. wrote that after the battle of Chancellorsville the amount of food and equipment being issued rose dramatically thanks to the supplies left behind by the Yanks. Another soldier from the 7th Virginia described his rations in late 1863. He listed his daily ration as one pint (two cups) of unsieved cornmeal, and a 1/4

lb. of bacon per day. He went on to say that since there was so little bacon, they usually ate it raw; something not recommended for today’s reenactors.  "Coffee" was either parched wheat rye, or rice, when they had it. In the same description he mentioned that the men would sometimes be able to get turnips or potatoes, which they would use to make soup.

 

I challenge all members of the 14th Tennessee to do something that several members, including myself, have done; copy their rations exactly for a weekend. When I do this, I usually take one day's worth of food. Our events tend to last about 30+ hours, but we have the advantage of a large meal before and after the event. Which description of rations you pick is not important. Whichever you choose, you will gain a whole new level of appreciation for the people we portray by doing this. Something most people in the club will never experience.