The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-05
"HARDTACK" OF TODAY.
Old-Time Brand Which stopped BuI-
let's Has Gone Forever.
From the Chieago Chronlele.

Old-Time Brand Which stopped BuI-
let's Has Gone Forever.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
Nothing so delights the veteran of the
civil war just now as the relation of tales
of woe concerning bareback" He will ex-
pound the miseries suffered by himself and
his comrades in their efforts at reducing
the hard commissary bread 10 such de-
gree of softness as would make 1t eatable.
He can tell narrowing stories of the bis
cult 1t pleases him to tell gaping crowds
how lives We're saved because the men wore
one or more of these biscuits inside their
blouses. Bullets. according to the veteran.
were turned back in their fight by the
food
This same veteran has been eating soft
bread ever since he left the army. lie
would feel that soup is not soup If crack
ers were omitted from the bill. But when
II comes to bareback he grows positively
eloquent. lie can tell more about 1t even
than he can of the mistakes made by the
general who commanded his brigade, diVis-
ion or corps during the war. If all the re-
ports of the bread be rehable-aud there is
little reason TO doubt part of their truth
the men did suffer to a considerable eX-
tent.
But the bareback Of to-day, the official
commIssary hard bread now being issued
to the troops, is by no means such "a. bug
bear Men VIII eat bread soft and haky
three times a day for all of their lives aud
never complain. The bareback of to-day Is
really very good article OF food, made of
the best of materials, and, aside from the
monOIony of such diet, is easily eaten.
1t has none of the bad features ascribed TO
it's predecessor, for it is nothing but
cracker of fine wheat flour mixed with
water. II Is palatable and by no means SO
hard that man will lose his teeth in eat
ing il,
BY courtesy of Maj, O. M. Smith, com
mssiary of subsistence In charge of the
depot in Chicago, a reported for the ChrOn-
icle was able to obtain a supply of the
hard bread. as 1t is officially desl grated.
Not only did the reporter obtain the goods,
but he also secured the official descript-
ion of the materials used and the manner
of preparation. Here is the description as
furnished by the department at Washing
ton:
Hard bread made from the very best
straight soft winter wheat flour, mixed
with water only, baked in crackers ore
inch long by half an inch wide and about
three-eighths of an inch thick, packed in
air-tight cartons made of strong straw
board so processed as TO be grease proof
One end of the carton to be closed with
as easy opening flap one and one-half
inches wide. Cases OF forty cartons TO he
made of wood that will not impart odor.
The foregoing is the official bareback
prepared for field use in times of peace or
when the commssaries are not crowded
with rush orders as is the case at present
But in such times as those of to-day the
officers whose duty 1t is to provide for the
subsistence of the army have no time to
be particular about the little pasteboard
boxes. The crackers now being furnished
to Mai Smith are of the usual coda
cracker size, made according to the spe-
cihcations as set forth in the foregoing
para graph. They are packed in cases OF
about fifty pounds each.
1T has been a long time" said Mai
Smith, 'since we Manufactured the old bis
cults which are popularity known as hard
tack. The regulations now specify the size
as wen as materials and the small crack
er Is the official style. But we are rushed
night and day to get field rations ready
and have no time TO wait for boxes for
packing We are purchasing large quanti-
ties of the hard bread made in the usual
cracker size packed in large boxes, so that
one box has one days radons for about
fifty men. One pound of the stuff is the
daily ration for one man. Ordinarily IL
would come in the little cases in the boxes.
but now we are glad to get enough with
out going to The added trouble of putting
il into The small cases. II is not bad fooc..
and. aside from the monotony Of a contin-
uous cracker diet, would never disturb
anybody"
The crackers, even after they have been
packed for several months do not become
so hard as to wreck the teeth, although
they are 50 manufactured as to develop
all the resisting power of the wheat. The
dough is mixed with pure water only and
is absolutely devoid of the Shortening"
which the ordinary cracker has. Sail Is not
mixed with the pnass, another fact which
makes the food pail upon ones palate ar
ter time But it is Of good materials anc
clean, is well packed and presents few. IL
tional bareback Is popularity supposed TO
offer.
The dough is made stiff enough to devel-
one all the gluten of the wheat, Is rolled
out into thin sheets and cut into the re-
guired size and form Then II is baked I'M
iii it is thoroughly cooked and well brown
ed If it is used while fresh II orackies
readily under the teeth. After IL has been
packed for a time the gluten renders il
Tough and its friability is much reduced.
Then the man who must eat 1t has some
of the troubles Of which he has heard for
thirty years or more But, all told the
man who lives on bareback as prepared
now lives on good, wholesome food, al
though the tack of salt may make IL in a
measure unpalatable for steady diet.
Not Built to Retreat-"Do you think
YOU could stand the marching if you en-
listed? You are pretty stout"
~ could stand the marching all right;
bit couldn't stand the running. '-Chi-