Christmas in the Army -- American Civil War Style

Every reader of history knows of rosy, illusory claims made by boastful

leaders as soldiers gathered to march off to one of the many wars that have

occurred in the last 2,000 years. "Our side will win quickly and the boys

will be home by Christmas."

One still hears this claim made today, usually spoken by someone far from

the battlefield who knows little about combat (though he or she thinks he

does.)

During the American Civil War, politicians from both the North and South

made this confident statement as armies mobilized and men readied to fight.

What people on both sides initially thought would be a disagreement to be

settled within a few months, however, turned into a bitter war lasting four

years and causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.

Over by Christmas? No way.

Life for the common soldier during the Civil War, particularly when viewed

from the perspective of today, was an unpleasant one. Sanitation was bad,

rations were poor, medical care was primitive, and leadership was often

wanting.

But the complaint that appeared most often in letters and diaries of

soldiers had to do with the quality of their food. Though the North supplied

its armies better than those of the South, both sides suffered from a

monotonous, unhealthy diet. Salted pork or beef, frequently rancid, and corn

meal or hardtack, often infested with worms, were common ration items.

Homesickness was a perennial problem for troops in the field, especially

around holidays such as Christmas. The arrival of something special to eat

in a parcel from home became all the more welcome during these times.

Because army provost marshals inspected each parcel before delivery and the

boxes piled up on railroad depot platforms, thievery became a big problem.

Boxes were often delayed for weeks, frequently being left open and exposed

to rain.

One soldier of the 14th Connecticut wrote, "Half the packages were broken,

spoiled or stolen. Two boxes were entirely empty when finally delivered."

But there were happier stories as well. One soldier from Iowa lamented how

bad their issued Christmas rations were, but expressed delight a few days

later when a Christmas package arrived from home. "It was the first good

grub we had for quite some time," he wrote.

Volunteer agencies also did what they could. In 1863, 5,000 turkeys "with

all the etceteras" were sent to the camps of the Union Army of the Potomac

to brighten the holidays. Women entered the camp of the Confederate Army of

Northern Virginia one early war Christmas to deliver meat, fresh bread,

vegetables, pies, and cakes.

One Confederate unit in Virginia sent out a man on Christmas Eve with orders

to scour the countryside in search of whiskey and eggs. He returned near

midnight, after many of the men had given up hope.

"The eggs were quickly beaten, the sugar and whiskey stirred in, and we had

one of the most delicious eggnogs that ever mortal man quaffed," wrote one

of the soldiers. There was enough for two helpings apiece.

As the months of war extended into years, the food situation became grimmer

for soldiers of the South. One wrote of being delighted by a holiday package

from home containing six peanuts, nine persimmons, some dried apricots, a

couple hickory nuts, and a small loaf of cornbread. One North Carolina

soldier in the trenches around Petersburg, Va., wrote that his 1864

Christmas dinner consisted of a rat.

There is no doubt that soldiers of the Civil War, as did others in many,

many wars throughout human history, endured untold privations that often

haunted their health for the rest of their lives.

The challenge of properly feeding military forces in the field has always

been a difficult one. The United States and other militaries throughout the

world have devoted great effort and huge sums of money to develop

technologically impressive field rations. Few commanding officers forget

Napoleon Bonaparte's apocryphal remark, "An army marches on its stomach."

We can take pride and comfort today that we in the United States live in one

of the wealthiest countries of the world, and though some people live in

poverty, most go to bed with full bellies each night. We have much for which

to be thankful and none of us should take it for granted.

Have a merry 2016 Christmas and a happy New Year!