Hardtack and Coffee

Hardtack and Coffee or, The Unwritten Story of Army Life by John Davis Billings

The go-to book if you want the details of army life in the American Civil War. Having discovered that boys were as fascinated by the details of army life as much as the battles, and realized that all the memoirs were about the battles, he wrote a book about the details. How they did get enough food, but quality was another matter. Regimental badges. Why it was the mark of a green soldier to be ashamed of lice. What they did in camp in down time. Why mules were only used behind the lines. And a lot more.

flow into fall

A branch of an apple tree has already turned in July, all peachy orange.

The topmost leaves of a maple sapling are brilliant scarlet as they fledge.

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