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HOW ABOUT SOME CIVIL WAR FOOD... yummmmmmm

Hardtack, was a stapple of both armies as well as the general population of the early Americans. It was a cracker-like biscuit made of flour, salt and water and was one of the most typical rations issued to soldiers by the U. S. government because it was fairly nutritious and unlikely to spoil. This hard bread was made in government bakeries located in cities and shipped in barrels to the troops. Hardtack had to be tough to withstand the trip. Many Civil War soldiers complained about this ration noting the extreme hardness of the biscuits (sometimes called "teeth-dullers"), which at times had to be broken with a rifle "butt" or a "blow of the fist" to prepare for eating. Soldiers sometimes softened the pieces by soaking them in coffee, frying them in bacon grease, or crumbling them in soup.
Hardtack could become infested with insects in the government storehouses or during the soldier’s travels. One disappointed soldier claimed that "All the fresh meat we had came in the hard bread!" ....GULP!

Hardtack

The basic ingredients are:

2 cups of flour
1 cup water
1 tbl spoon of lard or rendered fat
6 pinches of salt

General directions: Disolve salt in water and work into flour with your hands. Dough should be firm and pliable, but not sticky or too dry. Flatten onto a cookie sheet to about 1/4 inch thick, and cut into squares 3 inches by 3 inches. Pierce each square with 16 holes about ½ inch apart. Bake in oven until edges are brown or dough is hard.
Remove from oven, cut dough into 3-inch squares, and punch four rows of holes into the dough.
Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another 30 minutes.
(quantities differ between recipes, but the end results were about the same).