Hardtack and Haversacks

"Charge them, boys; they have cheese in their haversacks." And so a cry sang out at the Battle of Chickamauga. And it recalls to the mind how important such a basic staple was to the soldier and to their families during the American Civil War. Here is a collection, with the actual recipes from the cookbooks of the time, of recipes ranging from Abraham Lincoln's Chicken Fricassee to enemy of soldiers on both sides, the hardtack. With over 200 photos of the soldiers, families and drawings of the times, Hardtack and Haversacks provides a snapshot into culinary tastes of the times.