The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-13
THE REGIMENTAL BAKERY.
now THE SOLDIERS ARE FURNISH
ED GOOD, FRESH BREAD.

ovens With "a Capacity of 200 LOnVcs
at BaI<ing Furnished by the
CommisSary Department The
Bakers Selected From the Troops.
and They Work In shifts-A Regi-
mental Bakery Can Turn out 1 200
LoaVes n Dny-SOIdiers No Longer
Have to Eat All Hard Tnck-HOw
the bakeries Are Operated.
In the old days OF the civil war soldiers
in the field seldom saw any fresh bread.
and the staple of diet was "hard tack"
Happy was the man who could have plen-
ty of hard tack, and when washed down
with copious draughts of hot coffee and
slice of fat pork or bacon, not only was
the inner man comforted but the outer
man felt that life was really worth living.
But in these luxurious days after thirty
years in piping times of peace. the army
cannot even indulge in war without being
provided with all the creature comforts
In the history of the world no army in
the field was ever before supplied with
so many articles Of food, and of such ex-
cellent quality, as the army of the United
States at this present time.
Al the outbreak OF the war with Spain,
Brigadier General Charles p. Eagan, the
commissary general of the United States
army realized that large camps of troops
would be established at minor points in
the South, and with a view TO leaving
nothing undone which would benefit the
troops in the way of proper food, had
constructed by a manufacturing firm in
VpFmOpf In o. NJ bai Ia
capable of turning out two hundred loaves
Of fresh bread at one baking. These ovens
were Of simple construction and made
especially for use in the field, either under
the cover of pauiins, or of rough board
shacks or hastily built houses one of the
first of these ovens was sent to the Sew
enth Army Corps at Jacksonville to be
experimental with, and, proving success
full, only a short time elapsed before ev-
cry regiment In the corps was supplied
with a field bake oven, and later they
were sent to the other army corps, both
in the United States and out of il; ten OF
these ovens being shipped from Jackson |
vile, via San Francisco to Manila.
Before this new era of field bakeries, II
the troops wanted fresh bread arrange
ments were occasionally made with city
or town bakeries TO exchange -four for
fresh bread but the gain was always on
the side of the bakeries and The loss on
the side of the troops. 1t is well known
that 100 pounds of -four, properly handled,
viii produce from 1870 10 14O pounds of
fresh bread, but IN the exchanges referred
10 that regiment was lucky which obtained
100 pounds of bread for 100 pounds of -four,
and it was more often the case that they
received but eighty pounds Of bread for
100 pounds of flour.
II was the result of this knowledge which
led the commissary general to institute The
field bakeries and give the soldiers the OPP
portun.ty of saving the -four and receiving
the benefit therefrom Every soldier Is
entitled, as a part of his daily ration, TO
eighteen ounces of -four and Il is easy to
see THAI II one pound of dough viii pro-
duce sufficient bread for one day there will
he a saving of part of the -four. When II
is considered that there are 100 men in
each company, the aggregate saving OF
flour for the entire regiment for a period
of one month will be enormous, amounting
to thousands Of pounds worth several
hundred dollars. The depot commissary
recently paid 10 one regiment in cash over
$780, the value Of the saving Of -four for
that month.
The allowance of -four, with the other
parts of the ration, for a regiment, is
drawn from the commissary depot every
ten days, and issued to the bakery as re-
quired. At the end Of the month the saw
ing of the flour, that Is the difference be-
tween the allowance and the actual con-
SUMPTION is bought back by the suhslst-
ence department, and paid for In cash to
the officer in charge of the bakery. From
this Is deducted the expenses of the ba-
kerry, the pay Of the bakers, the purchase
of lard, yeast matches, etc, and the re-
mainder divided proportionately among the
companies of the regiment. being paid to
the company commanders, who use IL IN
buying extras for their men. This const!-
tutes The company fund, every cent OF
which is expended solely for the benefit Of
the enlisted men. A regimental council
of administration. ordered by the colonel
examines and audits the accounts of the
officer In charge OF the bakery, and makes
the apportIonment OF the net profit 10 the
companies.
The building of the rough shacks or
houses IN each regiment Is done entirely by
the troops, usually being finished inside
of twenty-four hours, the large oven set IN
place, the dough troughs, tables, and proof
box established, and they are ready for
business. The bakers are selected from the
soldiers of the regiment and thus the bak-
ing is self sustaining The bakers usually
work in two shifts, and can turn out 200
loaves of bread each day If required.
AS a result of five months experience IN
the camps at Jacksonville, every regiment
In the Seventh Army Corps had It's bakery
in running order in eight days from the
time the first soldier arrived in Savan-
nah, and as II consumed six days for all
the regiments TO be brought here, il is easy
to see 1t was only the question of hours
before each regimental bakery was estab-
lished A noticeable instance Is the case
Of the Forty-Ninth Iowa Regiment which
set up its bake oven under a paulln and
produced some Of the finest bread ever seen
in this city in fifty hours after reaching
Savannah.