Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

I can fully appreciate how labor intensive this process is. Mrs. Underwood and I baked almost double this number of crackers for Perryville a few years ago. The majority of them were made at home over the course of about two months. The main reason I am commenting on this is so that folks who are not fully aware, can get an idea of how much time and effort event planners put into their events. It isn't as simple as showing up and snapping your fingers and it all happens. Years of research, planning and preparations such as this go into them.

[The Chesterfield Rifleman]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Hello,
I just had a thought. What if you made a line of stone ground flour hardtack. With the husks still in them. To give it that shoddy private contractors quaility. Them may turn out brown, but it would be interesting.

[Ken Cornett]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

El Herbo, I have to agree with Kiev on that...one ought not waste good food.

[Mtn.Guerilla]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

( "It would have taken twenty hours if Superman hadn't shown up. I had a blast and my kids did as well")

Nice, Superman indeed! Cameron, I hope you, Kiev, and the rest of the boys were able to take in a "libation" after all of your hard work. Everyones efforts have my upmost respect, and ya'lls work won't be lost on anyone that attends this grand adventure.
Cheers,
Eric

[Bushrod Carter]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Matt, I think I know that kitchen...brother. Since I can't see Craddock in the photos I don't believe he helped. Thanks for all your hard work.

Ike Gatlin
Rear rank 2

Hey, hey, HEY, hey! Watch what you say...or you'll get the "special" cracker! And yes, I did a share...maybe some of the other Brothers did a larger share...but a share none the less.

[gsusat]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Take a few and write "Shiloh " on them and put them in the garage for your child's college fund later ..... Great work guys.

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Mark,

It will depend on how much fall out we have. I've got guys on waiting lists right now, so I'm thinking we'll have a full house and use it up. If there's some left over, I'm sure we can get a cracker to your boys to gnaw on during the march.

[Mark Choate]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Pete's comments remind me of the description of Si Klegg as he tried every way imaginable to make the crackers edible, ha. Such a "relatable" story.

Matt, I don't suppose there will be any of those left over to toss to the hungry souls of the 11th Illinois Cavalry as they greet you on the other side??

regards,
Mark

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Great job on the crackers men! I know how hard that work is. I also know how Hard some of these crackers can be....I feel the pain when I see them get wasted as well. When men are real hungry they will eat them. Men need to look and see what the soldiers did to prepare them for ideas. Those Boys learned the HARD way ;)

"Let's see your teeth?" "What do you want to see my teeth for?" I asked.
"Are we to bite the enemy?" "Something tougher than that," good-naturedly an-
swered Dr. Love. "You will have to bite hard-tack and chew cartridges, and I guess you will find both tougher than any rebel meat you ever will see."

http://www.archive.org/stream/youngvolunteerre00crow/youngvolunteerre00crow_djvu.txt

They now have army rations, and such food as the hospital fund can purchase in this bare market, but many of them cannot muster physical power enough to bite a hard cracker, or stomach to digest beef or pork. They must be fed with nourishing broths and vegetable food for a long time, before they can be moved North.- take from report from the US sanitary Commission on the evaluation of Federal Prisoners

http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA1140&dq=hard+cracker&ei=d_c5ToCPIcOftwfNt4SAAw&ct=result&id=mr8HAAAAIAAJ#v=onepage&q=hard%20cracker&f=false

"Then I'm goin' up to Delmonico's place, and am goin' for to order jest the best dinner he can get up. I'm goin' to have all he has on his dinner ticket, you can bet. What? No! I guess I won't have a gay old dinner, much; for I'll be a citizen then, and won't have to break my teeth off gnawin' hard tack." -This soldier was at the headquarters of the artillery brigade of the Fifth corps, at Culpepper, Va, when asked what he will do when his three years are up.

”While partaking of this army repast I thought I could understand why the old examining surgeons scrutinized our molars so very minutely. No unsound tooth would have been half a match for that hard-tack, while false ones would have been utterly useless.” -Private William B. Smith, of Co. K 14th Illinois Vol. Infantry.

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

I suspect it will take four boxes as some of the crackers "puffed". Kind of wierd. Flat perfect museum crackers all on a sheet tin with a few that puffed up every time. Found that the ones on the top rack did it the most. We thought higher heat and turned the heat down. That helped some. At least if you're lucky enough to get a couple puffed crackers, they won't break your teeth!

[AZReenactor]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

So what does that fill, like 3 and a half crates? Makes for a good reminder of the logistics involved in keeping the army supplied.

[kevinw33]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Delish!

Thanks.

[nwwinslow]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Very impressive! I've only ever been able to finish about an hour of making hardtack, but you all tackled 15 hours. Good job!

Noah Werner Winslow

[Coatsy]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

That is awesome. I spoke to Kiev about it when he got back to Georgia. He also mentioned something about removing peoples heads if he saw the crackers being tossed.

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: Baking 1800 Pieces of Hardtack

Can't wait to eat some! My daughter helps me roll rounds!