Union Army Camp Cooking: 1861-1865

Contains documented quotations, historical background information, authentic recipes of the period, and commemorative recipes, giving the reader "a taste of" life in the Union Army. Published 1991, revised from the 1990 original edition. 31 recipes, 51 research notes, 37 pages. "It was at Darnestown that we were first made acquainted with an article of food called 'desiccated' vegetables. For the convenience of handling, it was made into large, round cakes about 2 inches thick. When cooked it tasted like herb tea.-- It became universally known in the army as 'desecrated' vegetables, and the aptness of this term would be appreciated by the dullest comprehension after one mouthful of the abominable compound." -- Charles E. Davis, 13th Massachusetts This description and many other excerpts from diaries, journals, and letters of Union Army soldiers in the American Civil War are included in Union Army Camp Cooking. In addition to the written accounts of soldiers, Union Army Camp Cooking presents recipes and a text which help the reader to understand what it was like to serve in the Union Army and to eat camp food (and enjoy "care packages" from home). Among the commemorative recipes are "Trench Beans," "Earthwork Beans," "New England Corn Cakes," and "Clam Chowder."