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Editor: Chris Chester
June 3, 1862
Vol. IV
Nutrition playing a role in the war between the Union and the Confederates?
During the time of the civil war both the Union and the Confederates had issues with the
demand of food throughout regiments. The health and wellness of the soldier's was very crucial to
the success for each side. The leading factors for bad health were poor nutrition and diet and
infectious diseases such as dysentery and diarrhea.
Another important factor of
the health of the
Confederate states is that
they would also have to
feed slaves for labor and
this would considerately
effect the number of
resources
Confederacy Diet
In the 1860s crops were grown in
large plots of land by farmers to sell and to make
money. Staple crops like corn, potatoes, and
wheat were the main crops grown. Rice was a
stable crop the South produced because of its
more tropical like climates and weather it had in
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. Since the
south was a great agriculture nation at the time
farms were likely to carry pigs, chickens, and
cows that provided a source of meat to the
soldiers.
Hog meat and Hoecake by Sam
Bowers Hilliard, p. 24
The south was also
more susceptible to
infectious diseases
like swine flu due to a
great number of pigs
Hog meat and Hoecake by
Sam Bowers Hilliard, p. 97
Union Diet
Very similar to the Confederate
diet the Union also held very stable
crops like corn which was very
prevalent in the soldiers diets
because of its availability and that
it could be grown year round. In the
year of 1858, Gail Borden
discovered the process of
condensing milk so that thickened
and sweetened milk to where it
could be stored in a can. An
average ten ounce can of condensed
milk contained over one-thousand
calories and two hundred grams of
carbs. Production of condensed
milk was created in New York so
mostly all of the product was
obtained by the Union Army
Historians
Historians have studied the
nutrition and diet of the 1860s to see
the effects of diet upon soldiers.
They believe that poor diets
throughout the civil war contributed
to illness and disease
Gail Borden,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Gail_Borden
Condensed milk,
http://njbottles.com/index.php?topic=3588.0
Conclusion
During the duration of the Civil War both sides had
troubles with lack of supplies, disease, and diets that lack lots
of nutrients. Both sides contained the same types of foods like
corn, potatoes, wheat, and livestock (cows and chickens). The
contributing factor to the Union soldiers was the use of
condensed milk. The product contained lots of calories which
could be used sparingly during the day and were produced and
vast rates for supplies to be evenly spread.