Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The following is taken from a point near the middle of the fifth chapter on "Hard Tack's" history.
... first appeared in the Army of the Potomac. An exact date of this parody is not known but it is believed that it made it's first published appearance in late 1862 after the end of McClellan's failed peninsular campaign. Although the author is unknown, the song entertained the troops through out the war, with it's humorous lyrics and sentiments.
Hard Tack was made with wheat flour, salt and water, then baked to the hardness of a "clay brick." The size varied from manufacturer to manufacturer with an average size of 3" by 3 1/4" and 1/2" thick. Known by many names, "Sheet Iron Crackers," "Tooth Dullers" and "Worm Castles." It was shipped to the front in large wooden boxes on the side of which were stenciled the letters B. C. These stood for Brigade Commissary, the troops however claimed this indicated the date of manufacture - Before Christ!
Hard Tack made during the Civil War was issued during the Spanish American War in 1898 and those troops saw that age had made no difference in texture or taste. Often the cracker would be soaked in water or coffee in an attempt to soften it. This didn't work but it did drive out the worms, which in most cases where skimmed off before it was eaten. Although some maintained that eaten in the dark, one could not tell the difference. A 76th Illinois soldier named John Tallman wrote home,"Some say the crackers have magets in them, but I don't look for them. All I have to say is if they get between my teeth they will get hurt."
The South issued Hard Tack both of their own limited manufacturer and captured Federal supplies. The Confederates turned to corn meal, parched corn and corn dodgers as substitutes as the wheat flour shortage became acute. Since the Federal Government did not have the supply problems of the South, pork, Hard Tack and coffee became the main diet of the Union troops on the campaign throughout the war.
Confederates often said that Union troops were only good for their pelts, shoes, pants, equipment and Haversack which contained their food stuffs ...
