Booknotes: Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia

New Arrival:

• Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia by Michael C. Hardy (Savas Beatie, 2025).

The ill-clothed and half-starved southern 'scarecrow' fighting man as myth or reality has been the subject of some debate, but no one can discount the vital link between food and fighting capacity. From the description: "Although seldom studied, food (or the lack thereof) and the logistics behind it played a critical role during the war, contributed mightily to the success and failure of campaigns, and affected the overall outcome of the conflict. Understanding how soldiers prepared their food, how they ate and, very often, went hungry, is a vital tool to understanding their individual experiences and the larger history of supply and logistics within the Confederate army."

Rather than take on the entire Confederate Army, Michael Hardy adopts the more manageable task of examining a single army. His Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia is based upon a "unique study on more than 300 sets of letters and diaries that closely examine the importance of sustenance in the day-to-day life of the soldiers in the Army of Northern Virginia. Various chapters examine food issued by the army, food sent from home to the front, and food carried, collected, and eaten during campaigns. These accounts dispel many misconceptions and assumptions about food during the war and provide a rich and complex picture of the arduous journey various meats, grains, and other foodstuffs underwent to reach hungry soldiers in the field."

The common soldier perspective in camp and on the march is not the only lens through which Hardy scrutinizes his subject. More from the description: Feeding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia also "examines what the Confederate high command ate and explores the relationship between hospitals and food, demonstrating the importance of proper nutrition in the recovery and care of the wounded. Hardy also examines the vital role played by camp servants, as well as the critical connection between proper nutrition and morale. The voices of the men themselves provide a multifaceted examination of this central, but often overlooked, field of history."