Civil War Hardtack

Civil War Hardtack - Inventory Number: MIS 274

An intact piece of the infamous Civil War soldier’s ration, hardtack. A plain flour and water biscuit, this example measures 3 ½” X 3 ¼”. As Union Army veteran John D. Billings noted in his book, “hardtack was not so bad an article of food, even when traversed by insects, as may be supposed. Eaten in the dark, no one could tell the difference between it and hardtack that was untenanted. It was no uncommon occurrence for a man to find the surface of his pot of coffee swimming with weevils, after breaking up hardtack in it, which had come out of the fragments only to drown; but they were easily skimmed off and left no distinctive flavor behind.

There are some hairline cracks in the body of the piece, however, they are stable.

Comes housed in a 12 x 8 inch display case with red velvet backing and descriptive card.

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Inventory Number: MIS 274