It’s amazing to me how during the Civil War coffee was thought of as a weapon of war. Union Soldiers were ordered to carry caffeine in their canteens, and planned attacks were based on when men would be the most caffeinated. Diary entries show that they believed that coffee was what kept them alive. They wrote about coffee passionately in their diaries and how they missed it when it became unavailable to them.
Soldiers on both sides depended on coffee as an fuel for survival. When the Conferaderates went threw shortages the made substitutes out of rye, corn or chopped beets just to have a cup of something brown an warm. These were brave strong men. I couldn’t imagine mostly living off of coffee, meat or hardtack. The thought of not having coffee during the Civil War to many soldiers less them to believe they would dir without it.
The one thing I wouldn’t be able to live without is water. I drink a big cup every morning before I even think of a cup of coffee. Coffee doesn’t quinch my thirst or and I can go a whole day without food but water is a must.
I agree as to how absurd it sounds to us that coffee was considered a weapon back then. But at that time middle class really started to include diet in their coffee more and more, before it was only the wealthy that had their hands on coffee. but coffee was also seen as a reward to those soldiers who made it back alive. It was almost as a relief for them to see a warm cup of coffee after their hard fought battle.
I also said water because it is such an essential of life and plays a major role in our diet in our every day lives. Even if someone does not drink as much water as their daily requirements, it is still being used in other useful activities such as cooking and cleaning.
I agree with you that water is essential. The human body is made up of 60% of water and I feel that some people don’t understand the importance of water.