RPTM Podcast Episode 47: The American Civil War Part Four

​It always goes back to the vices. Human's penchant for sex and drugs is insatiable, and this was no different during the Civil War. While most historians aim to stay in their ivory towers, I will always emphatically choose to remain in the gutters. The cesspool is where we see the true desires and motivations of the actors of history. Trends that we see today can be traced back to the 1860s, from legal sex work to the use of opiates as pain killers. 

There is an internet meme that I have seen several times in the past few years, which gives me a good chortle. It involves an image of several A-1 bottles and, in bold font, states:

"So in the middle of the Civil War, someone was like, 'you know what this country needs? A good steak sauce.'" 

The joke is that A-1 steak sauce was invented in 1862, during the American Civil War. It was Sold in 1861 as a condiment for meat or game dishes in the United Kingdom; the makers introduced the product to Canada and later to the US, where it was marketed as a steak sauce. But that's not important. What is essential is to remember that people do not stop being people during significant historical events. They most likely seem to lean in more. Whatever lives in your brain, stomach, or veins is what defines you. As we review this time, make sure not to clutch your pearls too tight.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The American Civil War spilled over into Indian Territory; it profoundly divided tribal nations, societies, and households on the western frontier of the war. A calculated 20,000 Indian soldiers partook in the conflict, fighting for both sides.
• Popular myth has it that they were so common around the Army of the Potomac when Union general Joseph Hooker was in command that the term "hooker" was coined to describe them; however, the term had been in use since 1845. 
• The most common food given to soldiers was bread, coffee, and salt pork. The typical ration for every Union soldier was about a pound of meat and a pound of bread or flour. 
• As was customary in the 19th century, more soldiers died of disease in the Civil War than in battle. 
• Historians record that the American Civil War was the turning point for widespread misuse of opiates. Opium-based drugs, including morphine, provided powerful relief for veterans suffering from physical pain and mental illness. ​

CHAPTERS
0:37 Intro
2:20 Native Americans and the Civil War
10:29 Sex and the Civil War
17:23 Food and the Civil War
23:20 Medicine and the Civil War
26:53 Opium
32:28 Outro

RESOURCES
How the US Civil War Divided Indian Nations
Gender issues in the American Civil War
What Does a Soldier Eat?
History of medicine in the United States
Medicine in the American Civil War
The History of Illegal Drugs in the U.S.
How Civil War Medicine Led to America's First Opioid Crisis