Cooking on a campfire is one of the more interesting, yet least talked about subjects when it comes to Civil War Reenacting, which is strange because it seems like it is one of the biggest spectator lures when out in the field.  When you think about it though, it isn’t surprising that spectators would be interested in seeing us cook like the soldiers did back then, not when there are at least a dozen different TV shows that feature people going around the world and eating weird food, not to mention an entire channel dedicated to the preparation of food.  People enjoy watching others cook and eat, especially if it is different than what they are used to, which is almost always the case when doing an authentic Civil War cooking scene.  Furthermore, the food is good (though I must say I was a little hesitant last week about the pickled eggs, but even those were wonderful).

For the most part our meals usually consist of smoked bacon, which we cut into big

chunks, fried potatoes, onions and whatever dried or fresh fruits and vegetables one can carry.  Oh, and I hope you like really fresh coffee, because we go through that by the gallon.  And when we say fresh, we mean it, because we crush the beans that morning (Bill’s personal wake up call to the unit usually).