What I found interesting and surprising at the same time about the diet Civil war soldiers carried every day was that the essential thing in their diet was mainly coffee. They relied on coffee as a pre and post-war ideal treat. They loved coffee to the extent of not caring the conditions the water they used for coffee were in, they would get water from canteens or puddles at times. Something else that surprises me from their diet is the lack of flavor and variety in their everyday meals such as in the meat that was prepared or potatoes they were served. They wouldn’t always serve vegetables or fruits to the soldiers just on the occasions where they were in season. The conditions of the food or where it was prepared weren’t all the best. The main idea wasn’t for the soldiers to enjoy but not let them fall into starvation. Something I myself can’t live without would also be coffee just like the civil war soldiers I can have it warm or iced. I can make it homemade or buy it from a café but, I always need that cup of coffee for a little boost of energy in the morning.
For me too, I can’t live without coffee in the mornings. Nice post, and it is very impressive how coffee was integral to a Civil War soldier’s diet and morale.