After reading both the articles on the diet of the soldiers during the Civil War, I am so surprised people survived as long as they did. The soldier’s diets were so poor that they should have been extremely under nourished. They were at a disadvantage from the start because they had very little cooking experience since during that time women did all the cooking. Whatever knowledge they did have was extremely basic. They were constantly on the run and putting their bodies through extreme physical conditions so, they needed to eat something that would fuel their body and replenish nutrients they lost, but they didn’t know how to do that. They ended up eating the same dish multiple times a day because that was all they knew how to cook. Also they had to cook the food extremely dry so they could preserve it for longer. Overall I think the soldiers would have had less energy to fight because their diet was so poor, but I guess there will to win over powered their undernourished bodies.

In the articles, I also found the obsession with coffee very surprising. As I read the article it did make a lot of sense as to why the soldiers loved it so much. Coffee was a lighthearted topic the soldiers could bond over and talk about. It was also something to look forward to during a very stressful time. Coffee helped remind the soldiers of home and keep them from completely losing their sanity. The soldiers became so addicted to coffee that it was the only thing they would be excited about.

The soldier’s obsession with coffee is something I understand completely. I love coffee and honestly wouldn’t be able to get through my day without it. Although I love coffee with all my heart, I think I would be more upset if I had to live without fruit. More than
50% of my diet is fruit, so if I no longer had access to any I would be beyond upset. I would not know what to eat to replace the fresh juicy flavor of fruit.