The Civil War TimesNutrition playing a role in the war between the Union and the Confederates?

June 3, 1862 Vol. IVEditor: Chris Chester

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.

Confederacy DietIn 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.

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

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. 24

Hog meat and Hoecake by Sam Bowers Hilliard, p. 97

Union DietVery 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

Gail Borden, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Gail_Borden

Condensed milk, http://njbottles.com/index.php?topic=3588.0

ConclusionDuring 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.

HistoriansHistorians 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