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Post by charlesheath on Jan 28, 2007 22:45:41 GMT -6
Bacon and fresh beef have been issued ad nauseum, and we had a big venison ration last year at Fort Donelson, so try to be creative. Write in answers are encouraged.
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Post by Timothy Arnold on Jan 29, 2007 8:52:02 GMT -6
Mutton?!?! are you serious? We can have that? Awesome!
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Post by Carl Arnold on Jan 29, 2007 9:27:45 GMT -6
Rodent?!?! are you serious? We can have that? Awesome!
That would be like Christmas!
Actually, does anyone ever really do rodent?
I guess technically that could be squirrel and not just
RAT. Right?
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Post by charlesheath on Jan 29, 2007 15:12:04 GMT -6
Mutton keeps showing up on a regular basis in accounts and on-the-hoof ration inventories, and we don't often have a good combination of documented fresh baa baa being issued when the weather is cold enough to make it safe. This could include the goat Billy "Bugs" Young had at the Bentonville 2000 campaigner adjunct, too. Most places that sell lamb are willing to part with an unproductive ewe now and then, although for most issues a half or quarter would be about plenty. Depends on the event. As a casual observation, the bulk of the mutton goes to either the officers' table or the hospitalized troops. You can bet the dogrobbers were right there gathering the odds and ends for their own mess, too.
While rustling through the ORs on CD the other night, a mention of dried mutton appeared along with jerked beef and some other good far western (Pacific Coast) ration items we probably can't justify all that well. Some mentions of jerked beef do show up for Arkansas and western Tennessee. Yes, that would be "beef jerky," you truck stop convenience store raiders!
Someone from up in NY donated some damn nice fat, pre-dressed, domestic rabbits to McDowell 2005, and they were g-o-n-e faster than you can fart in the wind. That was a nice touch. One of the Fort Pulaski events had squirrel substituting for rat, and Terre Lawson has provided lab rat stew before. Plenty of reenactor precedent for this ration out there, but tracking down period accounts is a little more tricky. One of the reasons we had venison at Fort Donelson, is the wild game was documented.
Just stirring up some thoughts on a cold winter day for those times when we have some flexibility with the vittles, and enough people in one spot to make it worthwhile.
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Post by Steven Cone on Jan 29, 2007 20:11:07 GMT -6
I game to any all.
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Post by pogue on Jan 29, 2007 23:19:35 GMT -6
Does it matter? If Charles cooks it, it comes out gray and weird.
As long as it is historically documented or the best guess and not just "hey, this is cool".
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Post by charlesheath on Jan 30, 2007 2:15:00 GMT -6
I am still jealous Jerry can turn food olive green. Damn, him!
Joe, I'm asking because we have some holes in the documentation here and there, and sometimes we do get a choice of what to improperly prepare and feed to the soon to be ill beyond their wildest nightmares troops at these events.
One of the better items we've put together was a fully smoked and cooked turkey with a bottle of adult beverage shoved up its ass, as part of a package from home. While the bottle was probably shoved down the neck cavity, the folks in marketing said it would sound more macho to say "we shoved a bottle of rye whiskey up that turkey's ass."
If we had time to prepare it, a nice fat woodchuck would be good at an event sometime. I'm not kidding. That reminds me to gas the ones under my tractor shed. I hate 'em.
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Post by pogue on Jan 30, 2007 21:57:07 GMT -6
What about a meatless issue? Just hardtack and coffee.
There would be rioting on the company street.
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Post by causes2b1 on Jan 30, 2007 23:18:42 GMT -6
I said fresh fish because as many streams and ponds as there are, especially in west TN, that is something I feel is under-represented.
John Spain
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Post by charlesheath on Jan 31, 2007 0:45:29 GMT -6
That has been done a few times before, and people didn't fall down and howl about it. The good news is partial issues are often mentioned, especially on the march. Their issues were often done straight from the box or barrel, and not as was narrated by John Billings, which was more of an in-camp portrayal of a ration issue.
We usually ask if any of the registrants are vegetarians or have other special dietary needs. This wasn't much of an issue back then, but folks who don't get a meat ration when everyone else is receiving it, generally receive a turnip, sweet potato, beets, or something extra depending on the scenario.
A few of the boys at the 2nd Bull Run NPS LH took advantage of the fact fishing is allowed on that site (great bass fishing in the wetlands mitigation ponds) and the fact we had a pond next to our camp. Saplings, furnished lines, corks, and period type hooks were provided, and worms were used for bait. After I had made a special effort to make sure we had worms on hand in a peach can boiler, we found some rotting wheat straw in the campsite area, and it was loaded with fat and sassy earthworms. I'm not sure the fisherman did all that well that evening (they caught a few), but the fish ate well. Sad part is few took advantage of the opportunity, and that may have been due more to licensing requirements, since most of the participants were from out of state.
Good stuff. Keep talking.
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Post by Timothy Arnold on Jan 31, 2007 8:55:06 GMT -6
Great point John! Looks like we're going fishing.
A meatless issue would be extremely right.
I can imagine;
"That was cool of them to not charge for rations at this event. They must be good rations, something unique."
anyway...
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Post by charlesheath on Feb 1, 2007 14:42:09 GMT -6
The funny part is the meat is often one of the less expensive components of an event ration issue. If everything is bought retail (and not homemade), the dang hardtack is often the most expensive item, which is why a full ration isn't often issued.
I see where Mechanical Baking is allegedly back in production. Talk about up, down, up, down, on, off...what a cycle.
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Post by charlesheath on Feb 8, 2007 10:48:14 GMT -6
This is a good indication of what the lads were eating at Corinth during this timeframe:
"HDQRS. ARMY OF THE MISSISSIPPI,
Corinth, April 30, 1862.
From this date until otherwise ordered by the War Department the component parts of rations issued to this army will be as follows:
Pork or bacon to the ration, 10 ounces; salt or fresh beef to the ration, 1 pound; flour or corn meal to the ration, 20 ounces; or hard bread to the ration, 1 pound; beans or peas to 100 rations, 8 quarts; rice to 100 rations, 15 pounds; coffee to 100 rations, 3 pounds; rye to 100 rations, 3 pounds; sugar to 100 rations, 15 pounds; molasses to 100 rations, 6 quarts; vinegar to 100 rations, 4 quarts; soap to 100 rations, 4 pounds; sperm candles to 100 rations, 1 pound; or star candles to 100 rations, 13 pounds; or tallow candles to 100 rations, 1½ pounds.
When practicable, an extra issue of lard once in five days, 8 ounces; pork and bacon two days in seven; fresh and salt beef five days in seven.
By command of General Beauregard:
THOMAS JORDAN,
Assistant Adjutant-General."
Not that this is event specific or anything, but I find it to be of interest.
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Post by Steven Cone on Feb 19, 2007 12:56:23 GMT -6
Haggis and blood-pudding Anyone?
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NEW MEXICO,
Santa P~, N. Mex., November 6, 1864.
Brig. Gen. MARCELLUS M. CROCKER,
Commanding at Fort Sumner, N. Mex.:
GENERAL: I beg again to impress upon your mind the planting of the 5,000 trees this winter on the reservation. If 10,000 can be planted and cared for so much the better. Please give this important matter your personal attention. When the mesquite roots have all been consumed we shall have growing quite a forest of wood for fnel if we plant from 5,000 to 10,000 trees per annum. Captain Calloway informed me that immense numbers could be easily procured.
5 P.M.
Your letter of the ‘p8th ultimo has jnst been received. The Indians must be contented with the amou~t of food now ordered to be issued to• them, i. e., twenty ounces per day of solid food to each individual. Major MeCleave, First Cavalry California Volunteers, is the officer I propose to send to your post to act as commissary. Please niake arrangements to have a certain census of all captive Indians on the reservation made on the 30th instant by actual count. At that time it will be well to know the strength of each family, with age, sex, &c., of each. Report the number, age, sex, &c., of the orphan children, and what plan you have adopted with reference to their cases.
This will be an especial report required for the War Department. Pray let it be as full and complete as possible, and give the amount and kind of stock owned by each fanilly, or each Indian, as the case may be. If you require any more of the tin tickets to facilitate the issue of rations, please write to Captain Shoemaker to have theni made, stating the number and size (with regard to figures stamped on them) of what you require. It is left with yourself to invest the money due to Indians for fodder as you may think will most condnce to their interests. A fund should be formed to provide grape cuttings and to pay for pumpkin, melon, chile, and other seeds.
Please let me know if many seeds have been saved for planting, and what you will require. The seed wheat must be selected from the wheat you have on hand as far as possible. for example, you cause to be sown, say, 3,000 acres. This will take from 4,500 bushels to 6,000 bushels, equal to 300,000 pounds—a frightful quantity considering the scarcity. It will not do to trust too much to the corn crop. Besides, if the wheat is sown early and matures early, beans can be raised on the same ground next summer, a great gain. The Indians destroy a great deal of the corn crop by eating the corn before the ears are filled. Separate ground should be planted to be depredated on, so that the main fields would be left intact to ripen. Captain Bell, commissary of subsistence, has bought twelve new plows. These shall be sent down as soon as they come. If all the able-bodied Indians will keep busily at work now, and day by day, until the next planting season has passed, 10,000 acres can be put in seed with ease. The 4,000 sheep have been bought and are en route to you. The fleeces should be given to the poorest Indians. Please inform me of how much these sheep average in weight per head, taking every ounce that can be issued as food. If the commissary would arrange to have all the blood of slaughtered cattle and sheep saved to be made into haggis and blood-puddings it would be great food for the orphan children who go to the school. The scarcity of food in the country is very great, and every resource must be tried to economize, or there will be positive suffering before time next crop will be gathered.
Please have the land which is to be cultivated measured. A calculation can easily be made which will determine beyond a doubt the number of acres. Delays in the arrival of the mail have detained me from going below. I shall start some time this week and shall endeavor to return via Fort Sumner.
I am, general, very respectfully, your obedicr~t servant,
JAMES H. CARLETON,
Brigadier- General , Commanding.
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Post by charlesheath on Feb 20, 2007 8:32:21 GMT -6
I gotta pass this along to the Cali folks on the WCC Forum.
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