The Shasta courier., 1861-06-15
How an Army is Subsisted.


The subjoined, concerning :" the subsis
tence of an army, from the Cincinnati Ga
zette, gives some facts which are not gener-
ally known, and which are interesting at the
present time:
Since so large body of men have been
called into military service, and many of the
ordinary channels of the produce trade have
been interrupted, it becomes interesting, In
commercial point of view, to know what Will
be the demand for food by the army. The
unit Of the Commissariat Department is the
rsx ION. The amount and quantity of a ra-
i'm is calculated 9a the basis of the full,
healthy and comfortable support Of an able,
bodied man with some allowance for wastage
The kind of food is selected latter due allow
ance for the means of supply with reference
to the greatest amount of healthy nutrition
in the smallest space. In this. long observa-
ton has taught that meat and bread are the
main articles. But few Vegetables are used
in the army on account of their bulky and
perishable nature. But men must have some
thing of vegetable and acid kind in their food,
in order to avoid scurvy and cutaneous dis
eases. In the British army free use Is
made of vinegar, rice and rasins. These
generally make a component part of the IA
IlOll III the European anu III 'tii wv
OF course, when an army is encamped in the
country, where vegetables and fruit are
abundant. these viii be procured, but they
seldom make part of the regular ration. which
as we have remarked is the unit on which the
food supply of an army is based.
The rations of Great Britain and the United
States armies are as follows:
Bread Neat. Total
Great Britain. l lb ! lb Il lb
United states1 lb2 OF 20 OF beef. 2lb OF or
Il OF pork. l lb II OF.
Thus the ration of the United States is con-
siderably larger than that of Great Britain.
In case of beef it is 10 ounces more. and in
case of pork, ounces The regular ration
of Great Britain gives 1876 ounces per week.
The beef ration of the United States is 226
ounces per week, and the pork ration. 2lq
With these are allowed weekly. in addition
to the rations, certain amount of soup. viz
negar and rice. In the navy, and when
possible, we presume in the army a raslrl
pudding is allowed twice week
Assuming the pork ration as the basis Of
supply, we have this result for six months
thus:
Bread for one soldier during six months..,-203 lbs
Pork i" q . ..-..I37 lbs (
A regiment of l 900 men will require for.
6 months, 203, 600, lbs of -four and 137 ,001
lbs. of por ere are, including regulars
and marines loo, coo men under arms. sup
posing no more TO be called out than the i
Presidents proclamation requires. The reg
ular rations for six months will amount tol
l0l, 800 barrels of -four, and "a, 500 brrres
of pork. Should the army be in the field forI
year, it will require double this amount
The demand for flour will not be very much
more than usual, since these men must have
been fed in any place. But it is quite evil
dent, the demand for pork-so far as it may
be used in the army-is an unusual one. In
situations where it can be readily obtained,
no doubt beef will be commonly used.
The subsistence of an army is the very
first thing to be considered by wise general
The army might as well be without arms as
to be without healthy food. The great Napo-
leon, (who in the art of war, was almost per
feet looked into the commissary and quar-
termaster's department before he marched
company. Whoever examines his arrange
ments will find that the ablest officers of the
French army were at the. head of these de-
partments which made part of the staff The
dangers of bad living and unhealthy climate
are ten times greater than positive war When
therefore, volunteer goes to the army, he
should be well provided for; and he should
also learn what we fear few do. how to take
care of his health. The preservation Of an
army in health is the very first thing to be
cared for.