In one of my other tidbits I talked about the type of food the soldiers ate and how they prepared it. At the time I knew Tom had a receipts (recipe) book (Randolph, J. W. "Directions for Cooking by Troops, in Camp and Hospital", Richmond, Va, 1861) but he couldn't find it. I had wanted to send you a recipe. Well, wouldn't you know, he found it and I thought I'd send you a recipe or two now. Can you imagine cooking for one hundred men. That's exactly what they did. These are from that book.

No. 1.

COFFEE FOR ONE HUNDRED MEN, ONE PINT EACH.

Put 12 gallons water into a suitable vessel (or divide if necessary), on the fire; when boiling, add 3 lbs ground coffee, mix well with a spoon; leave on the fire a few minutes longer; take it off, and pour in 1/2 a gallon cold water; let it stand till the dregs subside, say from 5 to 10 minutes: then pour off, and add 6 lbs. Sugar. If milk is used, put in 12 pints, and diminish the water by that amount.

Or maybe you'd be interested in making

No. 2.

FRESH BEEF SOUP FOR ONE HUNDRED MEN.

Take 75 lbs. beef; cut into pieces of about 1/4 lb. each; 15 gallons water; 8 lbs. mixed vegetables; 10 small tablespoonfuls salt; 2 small tablespoonfuls ground pepper; some cold bread, crackers, or 3 lbs rice, to thicken; place on the fire; let it come to a boil; then simmer for 3 hours. Skim off the fat and serve.

At the end of this particular section of the book there was the following:

[NOTE.- In cooking all kinds of meat, be careful to preserve the grease, which can be easily done by putting the liquor in which it is boiled, by till it cools: then skim off and place in a clean covered vessel. It is an excellent substitute for butter; is useful for cooking purposes, and will burn in a common lamp or tin plate with a piece of old cotton twisted up for a wick.]