Civil War Ration Can / SOLD

Civil War Ration Can - Inventory Number: REL 122 / SOLD

Civil War soldiers did fare better than the veterans of earlier wars because they had access to a relatively new technology, one that changed the nature of food preservation for everyone: canning.

Canned goods were popularized by the war. Today, you probably think of canned goods in relation to camping trips, food drives, and home canning of jams and sauces, but this technology was born under the darkest of circumstances. The canning process is the brainchild of French inventor Nicolas Appert, who came up with it in 1809. Appert was responding to a plea from the French government asking for civilians to help them find a way to preserve food for the military during the violence of the French Revolution. The close ties between canned goods and warfare continued into the American Civil War half a century later, at which point other innovative minds were exploring the full potential of canning.

Perhaps the most notable canned good to emerge from the Civil War is condensed milk. Condensed milk was so valued by soldiers during the Civil War that Borden couldn't keep up with demand and had to sell licenses to other dairy companies allowing them to use his patented process. Milk wasn't the only canned good that became prominent during the Civil War. According to the Timelines, the conflict was also instrumental in popularizing canned fruit and meat. 

With maker's label.

Inventory Number: REL 122 / SOLD