Zion Farmers Market Veg-U-Cation
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Zion Farmers Market Veg-u-cation Service-able Meals Long before Napoleon uttered his now famous words, "an Army travels on its stomach," much thought had been given by warring nations to the problem of providing nourishment for their fighting men. The Greek and the Roman warriors, Frederick the Great, and Wellington, all were cognizant of the need of good food supplies, and of.the dire effect that a lack of suitable provisions had upon the morale, esprit de corps, discipline, and physical condition of an Army. Early American Rations At the opening of the Revolutionary War, the colonies fed their own militia. Once the Army had grown, and had taken on a uniform character, the problem of feeding this unit became both acute and difficult. Shortly after George Washington was elected Commander in chief, the Continental Congress created a Commissary General of Stores Provisions, Joseph Trumbull, who had distinguished himself in feeding the Connecticut militia, was appointed to fill the job. The earliest legislation fixing the components of the Army ration was passed on November 4, 1775. A ration is the allowance of food for the subsistence of one person for one day. This first ration provided the following components: l6 oz; beef 6.8 oz.peas 18 oz. flour 1.4 oz. rice 16 oz. milk .1830 oz. Soap 1 qt. spruce beer .0686 oz. candle Compared with our present dietary requirements, this ration provided more calories, twice as much protein, an adequate supply of all minerals and vitamins with the exception of vitamins A and C. Feeding problems in the Continental Army The difficulty in securing salt presented one of the greatest problems in feeding the Army during the Revolutionary War. The small amount of salt that was imported came from Spain and her possessions. The only known method of preserving meat and fish was by salting, and once it became apparent that this item could not be had in the quantities necessary, cattle had to be driven to the immediate vicinity of the camp to await slaughtering as meat was needed. Since most of the cattle came from Massachusetts and Connecticut, this was not too much of a problem at first. However when the Army moved southward towards Philadelphia, the problem increased when the British cut off the American Army from its northern sources of supplies. Bad roads and lack of forage reduced the cattle to skin and bone. Later in the war, the British West Indies was persuaded to sell both salt and ammunition to the Americans. The Commissary General selects his assistants The Commissary General appointed as his deputies, and assistants successful merchants who were experienced in purchasing. These purchasing agents bought, stored, and transported food supplies, and placed it finally in the hands of the Regimental Quartermaster, or any person who had been appointed to receive the rations. A general order issued on December 27, 1775 indicates that the Regimental Quartermaster drew subsistence in bulk, weekly. Sutlers When the main Army moved to New York, Congress felt the welfare of the Army required the use of sutlers. Sutlers would procure, at the cheapest price, whatever supplies the General needed. Sutlers were approved for all camps, and they brought into any fort, barracks; or garrison, any quantity of food, either edible or drinkable, unless a Congressional contract existed with a certain firm for a certain food item. The commanding officer of any military reservation was responsible that sutlers would bring to the post daily: provisions that were good, wholesome, and which did not exceed the market price. These sutlers were part of every Army installation until 1866,.at which time their position was abolished by law. 26,000 rations were needed in 1778 In the spring of 1778, the Continental Army was 26,000 strong. The problems of feeding the troops became more and more difficult. The Commissary General, Joseph Trumbull, realizing the shortcomings of the supply system, tried entirely different method of providing food. He requisitioned provisions from each state, asking the state to appoint its own purchasing agent, who in turn would buy, store, and deliver certain quantities of food supplies at specified times. This method proved to be even less effective, since transportation means were not always available at the right time. After days of starving, suddenly more cattle were received than could possibly be slaughtered and eaten. Since there was no forage, nor enough salt to preserve the meat, the cattle starved; when the troops were ready to consume the meat, the cattle were too thin to make killing them profitable. Food purchased by contracts In 1780, Congress decided to procure food by contract. Under this system, a contract stated the price of the ration; the component parts were defined as to quantity and kind. The ration was to be delivered by the contractor, to the individual soldier, for the price fixed in the agreement. It proved that this method was better than the previous system for food procurement, but it was found not too reliable. Special Commissioners The commanding officers of the various military installations were permitted to appoint certain special commissioners with responsibility to go and look for food supplies. They were able to pay for these provisions with money furnished by the United States Treasury, or with drafts or abstracts from the War Department. Besides the regular organization for supplying the rations, which were furnished at the expense of the government, some means had to be provided for the soldiers to obtain the so-called luxuries. When one considers the meagerness and lack of variety which characterized the ration of that time, this need is easily understood. Vegetables, chocolate, coffee, and tobacco, except those supplied at hospital stores, were brought into camp by the sutlers. Usually, the sale of liquor to privates and to musicians was restricted, but these restrictions were seldom observed. While many sutlers must have taken advantage of the soldiers, they probably lost heavily when soldiers failed to pay their debts. The ration of 1812 The difficulty encountered in obtaining food supplies for the soldier of the Continental Army was probably the cause that the soldier of the War of 1812 was not as well fed as the soldier of the Revolutionary War. In 1785, one gill of rum had been added to the ration, also some vinegar, and some salt, but the peas, milk, rice, and spruce beer are missing from the ration given to the men fighting in the war against the British in 1812. The meat and flour component was increased, but not sufficiently. A decrease of calories and all the other nutrients are characteristic of this diet, which provided the following: 20 oz. beef .64 oz. salt 18 oz. flour .64 oz. soap 1 gill rum .24 oz. candle 1 gill vinegar This ration provided ample supplies of proteins, calcium, thiamin, and niacin, but was deficient in vitamins A, riboflavin, and vitamin C. Changes in the military organization In 1813, changes in the military organization of the Army were effected. The country was divided into nine military districts, with a commanding officer for each district. While this change proved to be very sound in many respects, it did not improve the supply problem. During the first 30 years, the Army had experimented with various methods of securing provisions, but the means employed were ineffective. In April, 1818, a bill was passed by Congress which placed the responsibility of purchasing and issuing rations upon the Commissary General and his assistants. The same bill provided that "the President may make such alterations in the component part of the ration as a due regard to health and comfort of the Army and economy may require." Spirit Rations The gill (4 oz.) of rum which had been added to the ration in 1785, was reduced in 1790 to one half a gill of rum, brandy, or whiskey. Four years later, a congressional act authorized: that to such troops as are, or may be, employed on the frontiers, and under such special circumstances, as in the opinion of the President of the United States, may require an augmentation of some parts of their ration, the President may be authorized to direct such augmentation as he may judge necessary, not to exceed one-half a gill of rum or whiskey in. addition to each ration. Coffee, and sugar substituted for rum The additional one-half gill of rum for those employed on the Western frontier was cut by an act of Congress in March of 1795; in July, 1795, the spirit ration was increased to one gill again, which lasted until 1832 when the rum ration was eliminated, and coffee and sugar was substituted. This coffee and sugar allowance was increased in 1838. The Congressional Act of 1846 allowed commutation in money for the extra spirit ration, which was allowed to enlisted men engaged in the construction of fortifications or the execution of surveys. This refers back to an act of 1799, which authorized the issue of spirits "in case of fatigue service, or other extra occasions", and was not affected by the act of 1832 which discontinued the regular spirit ration. In 1865, a General Order from the War Department finally discontinued this special spirit ration, as well. Mexican War ration The Mexican War ration was established in 1838. It shows the change mentioned previously, that of substituting coffee and sugar for rum. Compared with the ration provided the soldier in 1812, this ration shows considerable improvement. The caloric value had been increased, and it provided a better supply of vitamins. Vitamins A and C are noticeably lacking in this ration as they were in the other rations.