Existing comment:
Daily Rations:
In 1814 a soldier's ration included beef, salt port, bread, and liquor. Indigestion was not uncommon, nor was complaining about the food. A military doctor's manual from 1808 states: "salted beef and pork should not have the appearance of having been salted more than one year."
Important Buttons:
Metal buttons are among the few uniform items that can survive in the ground. 203 buttons were recovered in the 1978 field dig alone. Military and civilian, they range over a 100-year period. Knowing the manufacturer, civilian styles and military regulations allows archeologists to date the button and thus the places they were found. |