The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a very challenging time for all Americans, civilian and military. As the war progressed, and particularly after the blockades, the movement of food and goods between north and south became seriously affected.
Both armies and civilians had a hard time getting enough food to eat or getting basic goods. The problem was very acute for the people and army in the south who suffered more than their northern counterparts.
Food became in very short supply, very expensive and eventually not available at all. People had to find other means to feed themselves, turning to raising livestock, planting gardens and foraging for food. At this time people found many substitutes for food items that they could not get.
Related: Livestock Animals You Should Start Raising For The Upcoming Economic Crisis
Medicines were also in short supply, so people had to use medicinal herbs more than they had done in the past. Consumer goods became luxuries that people could not afford, and so they repurposed items and got by with whatever they had.
Some of the skills and strategies people used during this time could very well come in handy today with all the economic uncertainty, food shortages, drug-resistant bacteria etc.
Raising Livestock, Planting Gardens, And Foraging
Even people in the towns started to keep livestock, especially chickens to help feed their families.
Gardens were planted up with quick growing vegetables such as bush beans, carrots, spinach etc. A variety of herbs for both culinary and medicinal use were planted to help keep the family healthy.
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Local woods were foraged for wild fruits, nuts, berries, greens, duck eggs, snails, snakes and locusts. Fish could be caught in nearby streams and rivers and small game (pigeon, rabbit, venison) captured with the help of snares and traps.
Food Substitutes
People became very creative in their attempts to find substitutes for food they could no longer get such as sugar where they used honey, molasses and sorghum instead.
Coffee had many substitutes like roasted acorns and chicory, but the best was said to have been dried okra seeds.
Tea was another scarce commodity which people replaced with herbs, sassafras roots or the leaves from berries such as raspberry, blackberry and huckleberry.
Wheat flour was substituted with rice flour, cornmeal and rye flour. Salt was keenly missed by people in the south as it was a method of preserving meat, so sea water was boiled and even the dirt from a smokehouse floor was processed to get the much needed salt.
Hardtack
Hardtack made from wheat flour, salt and water became a substitute for bread.
It was cheap, nutritious, lightweight and was very long lasting when stored in the right conditions.
Soldiers hated this tough, tooth breaking food but found ways to make it palatable.
Some boiled it in their coffee to soften it up, and any weevils that floated to the top were easily thrown away.
Another method was to break it up and use it as a thickener in soups, or fry it in pork fat as a kind of crouton.
Food Preservation Methods
There were a variety of food preservation methods used in the days of the civil war including canning, drying, salting, smoking and pickling.
This meant that any excess of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, grains, milk or eggs could be preserved, and these methods could still be used today.
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The lifespan of fruit and root vegetables was lengthened by storing in root cellars where it was cool and dry.
Soldiers received canned food when available along with salted beef or pork, dried vegetables (carrot, onion, celery), dried beans, in addition to other food items.
Salt was a very important ingredient used in salting, smoking, drying and pickling preservation methods. Obviously, lots of dry salt was needed to salt meat or fish which would then last for years, but it was also used in the drying and smoking of meat.
Meat for drying was cut into thin strips, dipped in salt and then hung to dry. Meat or fish for smoking would be treated in a brine solution before being placed over the fire in a smokehouse.
Vegetables and other foods would be pickled in a salt brine with vinegar or herbs added for extra flavor and sealed in airtight containers.
Medicinal Herbs And Plants
The blockades stopped medicines from reaching people in the south, so doctors resorted to traditional plant remedies that were already known to southerners.
A whole array of herbs, roots and barks were used to treat a wide variety of illnesses and diseases.
For example, fevers could be successfully treated as well as stopping wounds from becoming infected. These were mostly used topically as hot/cold compresses and poultices.
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Lots of roots and barks have antiseptic and antimicrobial properties that could certainly help today with the spread of drug resistant bacteria.
Repurposing Old Items And Making Your Own
Times were really hard, especially for southerners.
They needed to repurpose old items or make their own things.
Fabrics from old clothes were sewn to make new garments, and carpets were cut up to serve as blankets.
A paper shortage meant people tore up old accounting books or stripped walls of their wallpaper to use as paper.
Buffalo chips (flat, dried buffalo poop) were burnt as fuel when no wood was available. As new shoes became a luxury, people made their own shoes from animal hides.
Farm women could spin cotton or wool to make yarn that could be knitted or woven into garments. Soldiers even punctured their canteens to grate dried corn when there was no cornmeal available.
Protecting The Home
With many of the men away from home, women trained themselves in how to use weapons. In fact, anything that came to hand was used to defend life and property such as pitchforks, hatchets, knives and rifles.
Some even formed groups to help protect each other from intruders. Another strategy was to hide valuables and wear two sets of clothes so they would have a spare set of clothes if they needed to run away.
These survival hacks from the civil war are just as applicable today as they were then. Many of these skills of raising livestock, growing vegetables, foraging and food preservation are vital in today’s uncertain world.
Utilizing medicinal herbs and plants can help combat the deadly drug resistant bacteria that threaten our lives today. Repurposing is not only necessary, economical, but it also helps to save the environment.
Neat not really a deep or detailed but might spur some thoughts
about as deep as this article is…. ( store food…. plant food…. well no duh)
Look the north didn’t feel the effects of the civil war like the south did. North had the industry because the north was already gettting of slavery and the south like idiots kept it going . which only resulted in lazy people on both side of the coins… Slave owners and slaves… and poor white trash whites.
And you got your history degree from what mail order catalog? See article 1 section 9 of the CSA Constitution. It was dying a natural death worldwide and not the main cause of secession. Now I digress, back to the topic.
Your user name is enough to dislike the garbage you wrote, but the content is deserving of negative feedback all by itself.
70% of all tax revenue was produced by the south.
1/2 of all slaves were Irish/Scottish children/ adults, around from 2yo to 21 yo.
1/2 of all slave owners were blacks.
70% of all slave owners were Jewish plantation owners, the rest were wealthy politicians, everyday people could not afford any.
All slave ships were docked in the northern States, none recorded to be in the south.
The king of the UK approved the Atlantic slave trade at the behest of 3 Jewish business persons.
It was not a civil war as only the northern & southern states were involved, not the western territories or provinces they did not approve of slavery so they did not have any.
Our republic only lasted several years before becoming a corporation, all States, cities and federal government & so-called government agencies are incorporated meaning they are a legal fiction just like McDonald’s.
There are many more things i could go into pointing out the lies and deceits we all have been told by government and corporations, but far too much to go into here.
Almost everything we have been told to believe is a lie. Cornell Law School
(14) “State” means any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, or any territory or possession of the United States.
(15) “United States” means—
(A) a Federal corporation;
(B) an agency, department, commission, board, or other entity of the United States; or
(C) an instrumentality of the United States.
I am not rushing to the aid of “The well hung horse”, I agree with his sentiment. The article is thought provoking, but is lacking in content. For example, the author mentions medicinal herbs and plants, but doesn’t give specifics oh what herbs/plants could be used for general fevers or antiseptics. The link provided starts with 10 plants, then wants you to view a video to buy another book.
I am all for people trying to earn money on books and projects they have researched and written about, but this is also a website for preppers; I would hope that the articles would include some worthwhile information instead of just being an infomercial.
So, “The well hung horse” is correct in saying this article is though provoking. The lack of information makes you want to dig deeper. Ask A Prepper is one of my favorite websites, due to the articles (both good and bad), and the comments (useful or not), and I try to keep an open mind on all.
Having a pre-conceived notion about a commenter, and showing your superior intellect and experience by trashing their post shows neither superior intellect or experience. I will be the first to admit that I don’t know enough, but I will admit that I am neither superior or inferior to anyone and therefore will not attempt to silence their voice. You seem to me to be one of the people that likes to trash commenters just to get an argument going. Most good people that visit this website don’t want an argument, they want quality prepping ideas and tools.
I believe the purpose it serves is to get people thinking and exchanging ideas, not to give classes or answer every question. If that is the case it does well.
Just curious. Those that do not think the site is thought provoking or a way to exchange info, what are you doing here? Are you just here to criticize and bitch, bored, can’t figure out how to quit…
Just curious.
Golly, at first you give the impression of being a thoughtful and kind person….
Then came your follow-up comment…?
So… people took to growing their own food, and medicines were in short supply???
Is the author somehow under the belief that there were supermarkets and drug stores back then?
Staples, certainly, were purchased, and city folks probably even bought canned goods and eggs… but most of the country was rural and folks were already fending for themselves by hunting, fishing, farming and foraging. And medicines? Back then, other than opium derivatives, most “medicines” were roots and herbs.
Repurposing things the rule, rather than the exception, until the 1970s. Before the civil war, and after it too.
Most folks were actually illiterate. The primary use most of them had for paper was in the outhouse.
Nope, most people could and did read. Most states followed the religious law that all children had to learn to read and write. Paper was not a common thing in outhouses till the Montgomery-Ward catalog began well after the civil war.
Pharmacies (aparthacaries) were where you went to buy herbals you couldn’t raise at home. If someone did not know what was wrong, they could go to the apothecary and explain it. He would make the mix and send you home. One great-grandfather was an herbalist and bough many of his herbs from gypsies. niio
Actually more people today are illiterate then during the civil war. People didn’t waste paper in outhouses. They used corn cobs. When people played games where a running total had to be kept, such as dominoes, they did the math in their head and wrote down the answer on the scrap of paper they had.
Gosto muito de todas as matérias que voce ensina e alerta aqui, por favor continue, forte abraço do Brasil.
Chuck,
You must have misunderstood.. I am defending the well hung horse’s right to free speech. I do not think any of the comments should be banned. Ignorant, hate, and offensive speech is determined by individuals, and if someone takes offense to the comment, move past it and forget it.. don’t try to silence the person by having everyone else jump on the hate bandwagon.
As the saying goes, I may not agree with what a person has to say, but I will defend their right to say it.
Shortages in staple supplies are to be expected when you are losing the engagement, but I’m surprised to see sugar on that list. That said, sugar or no sugar, please hold the coffee with Chicory. It’s definitely an acquired taste!
CC, most people couldn’t afford sugar and some couldn’t afford salt. That, coffee, and tea were luxuries. I like chicory coffee, but my body demands the real thing LOL.
Agreed, but it’s still surprising as Florida, Texas, Louisiana all major US sugar producers were Confederate States.
Hi, neighbor.
Chuck,
I appreciate the link. I believe I have been to that site a few times.
I chose the name Prepper In Training, not because I am a newbie, but because, like many other activities, if you are not training, you are not staying sharp. I will continue to train until I need to put my training to actual use, which hopefully will not be in my lifetime.
As far as defending horrible people, I don’t defend those that are in constant attack mode like BLM, Antifa, bullies, etc.., but I will always defend their right to free speech. Speech and action are two ENTIRELY different things. I will not stand idly by while someone, anyone, is getting the hell beat out of them (even though they may deserve it), and I also won’t stand idly by while someone is trying to curb free speech. Once you allow someone to control speech, when does it stop? When do you then stand up and say that all speech should be protected? If you are saying how bad Rocky Road Ice Cream is, and are trying to force others to quit buying it or eating it, then I will rush to its’ defense even though I have never acquired a taste for it, because if you successfully kill Rocky Road, will you go after Chocolate Ice Cream next? You may soon get to something I do like!
I would rather have uncensored comments than highly censored ones. Some comments offend me, but I try not to dwell on them. Instead, I move on to the ones that I can live with. There will come a time when the negative/hateful posters will have a big enough following to influence others thoughts, and I appreciate that constructive comments can be made against the hate, but without the offensive comment, the constructive comment is rendered less meaningful.
..iI disagree with your article. It was the 1860’s. Most food was produced locally in those days, not shipped from far away places and this included the northern cities and the southern cities. The south suffered primarily because much of the northern strategy was to decimate the agrarian infrastructure of the south. The north bring industrialized, had the capability to take the fight to the south and only suffered through some commodity shortages like cotton, tobacco and coffe for instance. The ports and unprotected plantations that were the pillars of southern independence and their economic base. The north, again being industrialized and largely untouched by the war didn’t suffer as much.
Not run by JW Rawles but Ken Jorgeson of the north country of NH.
A good site.
Aside from your ongoing hate for Raven, you still have not posted anything useful on this site, Chuck. Your constant attacks mirror all you profess to hate about “horrible people”.
So how do you find yourself superior and needing to be the police on this site?
For most folks until mechanization of cane, sugar was not a common thing. Like wheat and diabetes, it was for the wealthy. North or south of the mason-dixon cornmeal and corn flour were the things you used. Women made their own corn starch as a thickener. Every town had a commons where people took horses, cattle, and hogs to pasture in summer. Chickens and turkeys were all over, and ducks were Muscovy. If you steal the hen’s chicks, she’ll be back laying again in a few weeks. Foraging and forest planting were common. Remember, till pretty recently, NYC was surrounded by farms. Weird thing here in AZ is, not too many people were gathering mesquite. We’re heading into the 2nd crop of the season but only a few of us age taking it. niio
Yet you’re the rudest person we know of.
Lol.
Yet Chuck you are as rude and nasty as those you condemn.
At least Raven has posted useful things for others to use in survival.
So far you have never posted anything useful for other folks’ survival.
Raven is often crude but you Chuck are purely a boor and as useful as tits on a boar hog for other folks here,
Feel free to save your tender “feeling” you bleeding heart liberal by wandering over to some other site.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck it’s a duck, THUS I charge you as a butt hurt liberal by your ongoing behaviors.
Chuck, that is because the “Charlie Foxtrot” X-spurt, under a multitude of “names”, has been posting his ignorant BS and antagonizing others for several years, and most sites just end up banning his IP address. I have suggested to Claude to not only ban the email and “name”, but also ban the IP addresses of the “problem children”, but as usual, I was ignored by the site monitors.
Lol, some of these guys need comments anyway they can get them so there is NO moderation of posts at all. Since the advent of message boards in the 90’s, there have been trolls and idiots. Now they are just background noise to me that need to be ignored. Just ignore and move on, you get into trouble when you acknowledge their inane ramblings.
My two cents is I have been reading these Prepper articles on this particular site for over a decade and many of them are plain common sense. There are also many articles here that I have downloaded and printed off cuz they are seriously invaluable. Separate the wheat from the chaff and try and learn a few things.
AMEN
I think hardtack wasn’t so much nutritional (it isn’t) as it was FILLING. and when you do not have enough to eat, filling up with carbs is what you need. Hardtack fits that description.
Again as mentioned, not a very deep post, but one to whet the appetite for doing more research on my own.