During the Civil War the soldiers had a basic diet. They were forced to adapt a new way of life, eating and being on the battlefield. The Civil War food for both the Union and Confederates soldiers was supplied by their Commissary Departments, however the regularly rations were served uncooked. The soldiers were inexperienced when it came to cooking. They were mostly accustomed to women or female slaves preparing the food. It was entirely a different concept for them. The food was not high quality and obviously tasted horrible. The soldiers were served hardtack, dry cracker that contained flour, water, and salt. It was a bit hard to bite because it was very course, so the soldiers soaked the cracker in water or coffee to make it easier. The men in the war loved to drink coffee, they drank it whenever possible. Coffee helped the soldiers to be awake after several hours of exhausted duty. When there was no coffee beans, roasted corns or chicory was substituted. The soldiers needed something warm before they would fall asleep. However, coffee did not win the war. Soldier material and manpower was a main part of it. If I had to choose over many different types of food/drink I cannot live without, it would have to be orange juice. Every morning I have to drink orange juice to start my day, if I don’t my body feels odd. Same as the soldiers, their coffee is my orange juice.
I know people like you who also need to start with OJ, not an easy thing when you travel some places abroad, like parts of Asia!