Combat Food: Firecakes and Deprivation

The ration was not bad on paper but in reality commonly fell far short of what it was supposed to be. Items like vegetables and milk disappeared often, and for long periods of time. Moreover, the ration was issued uncooked, and it was up to the individual soldier or small groups of soldiers to prepare their own food. The many stories of deprivation, starvation, and remarkable determination were a major legacy of the Revolutionary War. A particularly low point was reached during the winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where George Washington’s army came close to starvation. Albigence Waldo, a Connecticut surgeon, wrote about the fare at the encampment:

What have you for our Dinners, Boys?Nothing but Fire Cake & Water, Sir.At night … What is your Supper, Lads?Fire Cake & Water, Sir.What have you got for Breakfast, Lads?Fire Cake & Water, Sir.The Lord send that our Commissary of Purchases may live on Fire Cakes & Water.—(Dickson, 1978)