Even in the midst of the Civil War, there was one thing the North and South shared: an addiction to caffeine. In that respect, the Union had an advantage. Not only did the North have over 2/3 of the population and control most of the heavy industry in the country, it hoarded supplies of the addictive little bean, leaving the Confederacy to wage its own war against java deprivation. Union troops loved their coffee because it was the best thing on the menu: Union supply chains were riddled with corrupt food contractors, but coffee was fresh because it was delivered in whole-bean form - making it difficult for even the most dishonest supplier to skimp on quality.
That’s what my Paw's GGrandaddy said even with acorns when it was really tough! You recall the stories about our brethren having acorns in their sacks in combat when times were tough. God bless those heroes’s. God bless them all.
I have a letter from a Union Chaplin who verifies the use of roasted acorns. Thanks for reminding me, I'll look it up and post it to the general discussion board.
