Showing results for "Civil War Cookin'"
Civil War Cooking: “Anxious To Have A Chicken Pie” For Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! Time travel through the 13th Vermont Infantry Regiment’s regimental history for a Thanksgiving camp scene from 1861: On our return from Union Mills and Bull Run, where we had been for two weeks doing picket duty, the boys began to receive boxes from home containing chicken pies, roasted and stuffed chickens and turkeys, […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: “We Rigged A Fishing Tackle” on the Blackberry Raid
The regimental history of the 15th Connecticut Infantry included short accounts from its veteran members, and Charles D. Barnes of Company B submitted a story about “The Blackberry Raid.” His writing reveals several different foods cooked or prepared by the soldiers during their march, including a gourmet version of hard tack and fried catfish. The […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: “We Found Her Cooking Hominy”
In the regimental memoirs of the 19th Tennessee Infantry, Confederate soldiers remembered a cold winter’s night and their interaction with a civilian family. Late one evening, about dark, before we reached the river, our command halted for the night. Two of the boys and myself went further on, about half a mile, seeking shelter, for […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: “Paid 12 ½ Cents For Some Griddle Cakes”
Breakfast for dinner? Yes, please! This historical cooking experiment was a journey in expectations – what did this soldier expect when he paid money for griddle cakes and how did it compare to what he got? The inspiration came from the collection of writings from a Vermont soldier that I had read during the summer […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking (and Drinking): The 2022 Introduction
The week of Thanksgiving approaches, and it’s time to begin the yearly tradition of the Civil War Cooking Series on Emerging Civil War. This year I’m delighted to share that Meg Groeling is joining the effort to entertain and highlight some of the 1860’s culinary history by taking us on a tasteful journey of popular […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: Dr. Potter’s Fine Dining on May 31, 1863
The most complicated food menu experience ends the series this year… Civil War surgeons had a hard and unenviable experience, but some of them ate pretty well between battles. Multiple menus from surgeons’ dining tables caught my eye this year, but Dr. William Potter of the 57th New York Regiment won the prize for the […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: Mrs. Robert E. Lee’s Gingerbread
Go to the source! That’s what historians say, right? There are so many variations of “Lee’s Favorite Gingerbread” and I was excited to try a version from THE SOURCE. Mrs. Robert E. Lee of Arlington actually wrote multiple gingerbread versions in her family recipe book, but beside one she penned “my recipe.” That’s a pretty good […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: The Lincoln Cake…According to Godey’s Lady’s Book
Lincoln Cake Beat two eggs. Add 2 cups of sugar, a ½ cup of softened butter, and 1 cup of milk, Gradually add 3 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, a ½ teaspoon of soda, and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract of the zest of 1 lemon. Stir until the batter is […]
Read more...Civil War Cooking: Pumpkin Pie — From Field to Table
Take a pumpkin, make a pie. Mrs. Lydia Child’s explains how this was done in the mid-19th Century in her book The Frugal Housewife: For common family pumpkin pies, three eggs do very well to a quart of milk. Stew your pumpkin, and strain it through a sieve, or colander. Take out the seeds, and […]
Read more...