13. As With Other Wars, Civil War Armies Marched on Their Stomachs
Napoleon’s aphorism that an army marches on its stomach was as true of the Civil War as of any other war. Hunger is probably the world’s best seasoning and appetizer. Nothing does a better job than the pangs of an empty stomach to transform even the most unpalatable foods into the equivalent of mouthwatering savory dishes fit for royal feasts and banquets. That phenomenon is often demonstrated in wartime. Marauding armies, raiders, the diversion of labor to military pursuits, sieges and blockades, all combine to wreak havoc on the supply and distribution networks that normally keep people – soldiers and civilians alike – fed.
When that happens, people in and out of uniform often have to shift for themselves and improvise to find sufficient foodstuffs to replace the then-unappreciated, but now fondly recalled, plenty of peacetimes. That happened in the US Civil War, especially in the South. In those terrible years, the devastation of war, the shortage of farm labor after agricultural workers went into the military, and various blockades and barricades, kept provisions away from the eager hands – and mouths – of consumers. As seen below, people had to get creative with their food.
