Revolutionary Soldiers’ Food Rations
While our attention is on America’s 25oth birthday, we rarely think about
the men who were fighting for our freedom and the hardships that they
endured to accomplish what they believed in.
According to records, 231,000 men served in the Continental Army and
around 145,000 were in the local militias. Feeding and clothing these
soldiers was a huge expense to the Army and the 13 colonies. In November
1775, Congress determined that the following is the Ration of Provisions
allowed by the Continental Congress unto each Soldier:
One pound of fresh beef, or ¾ of a pound of Pork, or one pound of Salt
Fish, pr diem. One pound of Bread, or Flour pr diem. Three pints of Peas,
or Beans pr Week, or Vegetables equivalent; at 5/s. pr Bushel for Peas or
Beans. One pint of milk pr Man, pr diem, when to be had. One half pint of
Rice, or one pint of Indian meal (corn meal), pr Week. One quart of
Spruce Beer per man, pr diem, or 9 Gallon of molasses pr Company of 100
Men.
One Ration of Salt, one ditto fresh (meat), and two ditto Bread, to be
delivered Monday morning; Wednesday morning the same. Friday
morning the same, one ditto salt fish. All weekly allowances delivered
Wednesday morning; where the number of regiments are too many to
serve the whole the same day, then the Number to be divided equally, and
one part served Monday Morning, the other part Tuesday Morning, and
so through the week.
Fresh meat was hard to preserve since refrigeration was not to be had.
Salting was the prevalent way to preserve the meat. The fresh meat could
have been stewed right away to help extend the life. Fresh flour or bread
went bad quickly also. Flour was often baked into hard biscuits which
would not mold as quickly as fresh soft bread. A pint of any food stuffs was
only two cups.
As the War progressed, the struggles for food increased. The hardest time
to get food was the winter. Local farmers were approached by General
Washington to sell food to the Army, but they were having difficulties
getting their families through the winter also. The soldiers resorted to
“liberating” food stuffs from the homes they would encounter during their
difficult winter travel or while they were stalled due to weather.
General Washington started getting complaints from the locals that cattle,
sheep, poultry and pigs were going missing. The men were starving and
Washington was sympathetic to those who got caught stealing food just to
survive.
Morale was extremely low; desertion and disease were running
their course through the Army. Illnesses such as scurvy, dysentery, and
smallpox were among the diseases hitting the Army.
General Washington was able to keep the Army together through all of
these hardships and defeat the British army to gain our freedom.
Cooking Utensils
The soldiers were issued one cook kettle (2.5 to 3 gallon tin or sheet iron
pot about 10” tall) to each six man squad. Maybe they would be issued an
individual bowl and utensils, but normally it would be one bowl for three
soldiers. During downtime, the men may have the opportunity to carve
their own bowl and spoon. It was up to each squad to take care of their
cook pot and carry it with them wherever they were marching. They could
not put it on the supply wagon.
Soldiers were issued a coarse linen bag called a haversack. This bag was to
be used to carry their food rations. On at least one occasion, the soldiers
were ordered to make their own haversack. They were issued a yard of
osnaburg fabric (a course, heavy, plain-weave fabric originally made from
flax or hemp, and later cotton) and sufficient thread to sew their haversack.
This bag, with their allotted food, was carried across their bodies while
marching from one place to another. A perfect assignment of food would
have added about 12 pounds to their already overburdened marching
weight.
Thank you to Paige Gibbons Backus and her article, Getting Food in the Continental
Army for her research.
While our attention is on America’s 25oth birthday, we rarely think about
the men who were fighting for our freedom and the hardships that they
endured to accomplish what they believed in.
According to records, 231,000 men served in the Continental Army and
around 145,000 were in the local militias. Feeding and clothing these
soldiers was a huge expense to the Army and the 13 colonies. In November
1775, Congress determined that the following is the Ration of Provisions
allowed by the Continental Congress unto each Soldier:
One pound of fresh beef, or ¾ of a pound of Pork, or one pound of Salt
Fish, pr diem. One pound of Bread, or Flour pr diem. Three pints of Peas,
or Beans pr Week, or Vegetables equivalent; at 5/s. pr Bushel for Peas or
Beans. One pint of milk pr Man, pr diem, when to be had. One half pint of
Rice, or one pint of Indian meal (corn meal), pr Week. One quart of
Spruce Beer per man, pr diem, or 9 Gallon of molasses pr Company of 100
Men.
One Ration of Salt, one ditto fresh (meat), and two ditto Bread, to be
delivered Monday morning; Wednesday morning the same. Friday
morning the same, one ditto salt fish. All weekly allowances delivered
Wednesday morning; where the number of regiments are too many to
serve the whole the same day, then the Number to be divided equally, and
one part served Monday Morning, the other part Tuesday Morning, and
so through the week.
Fresh meat was hard to preserve since refrigeration was not to be had.
Salting was the prevalent way to preserve the meat. The fresh meat could
have been stewed right away to help extend the life. Fresh flour or bread
went bad quickly also. Flour was often baked into hard biscuits which
would not mold as quickly as fresh soft bread. A pint of any food stuffs was
only two cups.
As the War progressed, the struggles for food increased. The hardest time
to get food was the winter. Local farmers were approached by General
Washington to sell food to the Army, but they were having difficulties
getting their families through the winter also. The soldiers resorted to
“liberating” food stuffs from the homes they would encounter during their
difficult winter travel or while they were stalled due to weather.
General Washington started getting complaints from the locals that cattle,
sheep, poultry and pigs were going missing. The men were starving and
Washington was sympathetic to those who got caught stealing food just to
survive.
Morale was extremely low; desertion and disease were running
their course through the Army. Illnesses such as scurvy, dysentery, and
smallpox were among the diseases hitting the Army.
General Washington was able to keep the Army together through all of
these hardships and defeat the British army to gain our freedom.
Cooking Utensils
The soldiers were issued one cook kettle (2.5 to 3 gallon tin or sheet iron
pot about 10” tall) to each six man squad. Maybe they would be issued an
individual bowl and utensils, but normally it would be one bowl for three
soldiers. During downtime, the men may have the opportunity to carve
their own bowl and spoon. It was up to each squad to take care of their
cook pot and carry it with them wherever they were marching. They could
not put it on the supply wagon.
Soldiers were issued a coarse linen bag called a haversack. This bag was to
be used to carry their food rations. On at least one occasion, the soldiers
were ordered to make their own haversack. They were issued a yard of
osnaburg fabric (a course, heavy, plain-weave fabric originally made from
flax or hemp, and later cotton) and sufficient thread to sew their haversack.
This bag, with their allotted food, was carried across their bodies while
marching from one place to another. A perfect assignment of food would
have added about 12 pounds to their already overburdened marching
weight.
Thank you to Paige Gibbons Backus and her article, Getting Food in the Continental
Army for her research.