I was completely unaware of how important coffee was for the soldiers during the Civil War prior to reading the two articles. Their diet was not that great or healthy for that matter most meals consisted of meat, potatoes and a piece of bread. Although the job of The Sanitary was to take care of the soldiers health and nutrition while supplying reliable food this was overlooked most of the times because of the army’s large size. So the food that was cooked lacked in flavor and variety as the soldiers sometimes ate the same thing twice in a day. I can see how that could happen especially since they didn’t have a lot of cooking and kitchen skills at the time. So they were feed just enough to keep them from starving. Surprisingly, coffee seemed to be something that they all looked forward to during supper time. Coffee for the soldiers was a sense of comfort and safety. It powered soldiers through battle and relived the survivors afterwards. They made it from anything they could and took it everywhere with them this is how important it was to them.

I personally have a love for coffee and sometimes even depend on it to keep me going throughout the day so I can relate to the soldiers a little. I sometimes try to take a break from the caffeinated beverage because I drink it almost everyday, mostly iced coffee. But If I had to choose between food and coffee I would have to say I wouldn’t want to give up eggs. I absolutely love them, served in any form especially as a omelet and don’t forget the cheese please!