Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-06-01
FEEDING UNCLE SANS ARMY.
Rations Better Than Those Of any 9th.
or Troops.

Rations Better Than Those Of any 9th
Or Troops.
Every great general who has man
oeuvred large fighting force has dis
covered the truth Of Napoleon's dec
laration that IAN army travels on
its stomach; and to more than one
has come the bitter realization that
The best army is the army which has
the best stomach. There is nothing
which so completely withers patri-
otism and smothers courage as the
gnawing pain of indigestion; there
fore the feeding Of an army has re-
...v. 40 niu.n srudy as les equip
ment as a destroying force.
In the superiority OF food based on
the cost Of the ration the American
army stands far ahead Of the other
armies Of the world, says b. r. Wins
low In the Scientific American; In
ract there is no comparison whatever
between the American ration and that
OF any other country on the globe.
The cost or the American army ration
ls nearly 100 per cent greater than
the british army ration and none Of
the other countries with big military
establishment feeds its soldiers any
where nearly as expensiyely as the
english government does.
The American army ration Is divid-
ed into three kinds-garrison ration,
neId ration and emergency ration.
The garrison ration Is that given to
soldiers at regularly established mill
tary posts; field ration, that issued to
troops in the field In active campaign.
The emergency ration Is a condensed
ration, in which the best and most val
liable nutritive elements are combin-
ed in the smallest bulk. In compost
ton the garrison and field ration are
almost identical.
Each ration, which Is supposed to
keep the soldier one day, furnishing
breakfast, dinner and supper, consists
OF 20 ounces Of fresh beef or mutton.
IL ounces Of bacon. 1s ounces Of cam
ned meat or canned fish. IA ounces Of
dried fish or Is ounces of picked fish.
1S ounces of -four or 20 ounces Of
cornmeal, either 2,2-5 ounces OF beans
or peas or 3-5 ounces Of rice or
hominy, and either 16 ounces Of po-
tatoes or IL AS ounces Of potatoes,
together with 1876 ounces Of either
onions or tomatoes, 3-5 ounces Of
dried fruit, 3-5 ounces Of coffee and
8 1-5 ounces Of sugar. The ration al
so includes very small quantities Of
vinegar, salt. pepper, soap and can
dies.
Nowhere except in the army can
the food supply Of 10000 men be
managed by 100 men. This can be
done with the army on the march.
changing station every day. The unit
Of administration is the corps. suppos-
ed to consist of $4,000 men. The unit
Of actual accountability, however. is
the brigade. Ordinarily an army corps
will consist Of three divisions, and
each division will have three brigades.
The chief cornmissary Of the division
issues his stores to each brigade in
bulk.
The brigade commissary IN turn
issues to each regimental commissary,
also in bulk, and the regimental COM
missary issues to the companies. The
rations are usually computed by the
hundred and are issued for ten days.
A company Of 100 men would there
fore be issued 1000 rations. In the
field each soldier Is supposed to carry
one regular ration and one emergency
ration all the time. The emergency
ration is never eaten except In case OF
emergency, and the regular ration Is
issued every day.
The army ration, 1t will be seen,
contains none Of those things which
are ordinarily considered luxuries.
For instance, there is no milk includ-
ed in the ration, and the soldier must
take his coffee black unless he Is able
to purchase a can Of condensed milk
from the "sales store" with his ''sav-
ings." Congress has authorized the
commissary department to keep on
hand other articles Of food that are
not included in the regular ration.
These are kept in the "sales stores"
and are issued to the mess steward
in return for savings" from the regu-
lar rations. Out Of a company Of
hundred men there are number who
do not eat all Of the articles In the ra-
70 VI
by the mess steward; therefore, when
the thousand rations are issued TO
him, he returns to the commissary
that part Of the various components
that he thinks will not be used. This,
in the language Of the army, Is max
ing a Saving" on the rations.
The value Of the articles returned
to the commissary Is computed, ana
the mess steward Is allowed to draw
from the "sales stores" sufficient
quantity Of luxuries that are not In
the regular issue, equal to the value
of his saving" The government,
however, will not allow Saving" to
be made on certain articles In the ra.
ton. Fresh meat, dried or preserved
fish, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, prunes,
apples and peaches must be used;
Saving cannot be made on these
articles. They contain just the prop
er nutrltlVe elements anu tiC Quohs
ties given are what the normal soldier
should eat.
The company fund Is another way
in which the ration may be improv-
ed, especially at regular army posts.
There are many sources of revenue
for the company where there Is plen-
ty Of ground at the post. Many OF the
companies have vegetable gardens,
and keep pigs and cows. The pigs are
fattened on the leavings from the
kitchen, making their feed cost moth
ing. They are fattened and sold. the
money going to the company fund,
or they are killed and the meat turn
ed over to the mess. Where cows are
kept a good sum is derived from the
sale of milk to the officers at the post.
This money, which all goes into the
company fund, is used to buy the lux
urtes not obtained in the regular Is
sue to Improve the. ISSUE" as 1t Is
termed.
In the field, in manoeuvres or In ac-
tual warfare It Is difficult, and some
times impossible, to keep the cooking
outfit with the company. The ratons
are then issued to the men indfvid-
ually and they are left to their own
devices as to the methods of prepar-
Oh. unl