Civil War Army Rations
By definition, a ration is the amountof food authorized for one soldier (or animal) for one day. TheConfederate government adopted the official US Army ration at the start of thewar, although by the spring of 1862 they had the reduce it.According to army regulations for camp rations, a Union soldier was entitled toreceive daily 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. 4 oz of fresh or salt beef; 1 lb.6 oz of soft bread or flour, 1 lb. of hard bread, or 1 lb. 4 oz of cornmeal. Perevery 100 rations there was issued 1 peck of beans or peas; 10 lb. of rice orhominy; 10 lb. of green coffee, 8 lb. of roasted and ground coffee, or 1 lb. 8oz of tea; 15 lb. of sugar; 1 lb. 4 oz of candles, 4 lb. of soap; 1 qt ofmolasses. In addition to or as substitutes for other items, desiccatedvegetables, dried fruit, pickles, or pickled cabbage might be issued.
The marching ration consisted of 1lb. of hard bread, 3/4 lb. of salt pork or 1 1/4 lb. of fresh meat, plus thesugar, coffee, and salt. The ration lacked variety but in general the complaintsabout starvation by the older soldiers was largely exaggerated.
Generally the Confederate ration,though smaller in quantity after the spring of 1862 and tending to substitutecornmeal for wheat flour, was little different. But the Confederate commissarysystem had problems keeping rations flowing to the troops at a steady rate, thusalternating between abundance and scarcity in its issuances.
Soldiers of both armies relied to agreat extent on food sent from home.
