[Report on the Army ration].

  • McParlin, T. A. (Thomas Andrew), 1825-1897.
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report on the Army ration]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    Cheese and butter stand nearly in the same category as milk. Every community, and almost all classes, even the very poor, use them. To add them to the ration of course involves a little expense; if not procurable otherwise, let the troops pay for them. They need them, or some other equivalents, in addition to the ration, and I know of none better or cheaper. At all events, inadequate as the American army ration is now shown to be, so little in advance or removed from what was termed in England a '-famine diet, {that of the Lancashire laborers and others in 18G2,) it certainly does not admit of any savings being expended in anything but food; nor does it become the Government by its regulations to divert any part or swing by bakeries of the soldier's flour to constitute a post fund, which contributes nothing to his food. If the bands and libraries are dependent entirely on such a fund, and can be kept up in no other way. (which is not clear, nor proven by proper effort,) then better let them disappear. The saving on cooking flour into bread for the different large armies in the field during the war, must have been immense; this large saving was not necessary, neither was it expedient to keep so much of the ration from the veteran in the field, hard pressed as he undoubtedly was. Still more unjust was it to convert it into money and put it back into the hands or the vaults of the Government. Until more bread or flour be authorized by law or regulation, the soldier should receive all that is baked, and should eat it. The expenditures of companies in the purchase of flour indicates that they do not get enough. In the issuing of beef, notwithstanding the terms put in the contract, unless supervision be exercised, the soldier is liable to be served badly, in the interest of somebody else. It is certainly not contemplated that choice cuts be taken off; the quarters should be of good meat and, if possible, be entire. Even when this is done, a considerable part of the issue is not equally desirable or digestible, and much of it is bone. Pro- fessor Parkes indicates the practice in the British service of deducting one-fifth for bone, or 20 per cent. Some deduction, and that a fixed one, should be made; and to show the propriety of some attention to this mat- ter, I will state that here recently when so much attention was being given to the inspection of company cooking and meals generally, (some time in January,) an issue was made to one company of 32 pouuds of beef ; complaint was made of its character, and there were found 15 pounds of bone and 17 pounds of meat in the 32 pounds issued, being at the rate of over 46 per cent of bime. The gardens, in their yield of potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and other fresh vegetables, keep the Army at present from scorbutic taint; * and where no gardens exist, the purchase of them out of company sav- ings contribute to this exemption. In the field these agencies cannot be depended upon; and the probabilities are that only short rations (beef, ♦Company F, 5th Infantry, averaging 50 men: at this post, has used in the past three mouths 1150 pounds of fresh onions, besides potatoes, pickled beets, cu- cumbers and dried fruits, peaches and apples. The average use of the onion in the above is 4 oz. per man per day.