cravings , Union troops loved their coffee because it was , literally , the best thing on the menu . Before the advent of helpful -LRB- and tasty ! -RRB- artificial preservatives , a marching soldier 's rations were neither varied nor particularly appetizing . Typically , they consisted of salted meat , unleavened bread -LRB- accurately christened `` hardtack '' -RRB- , and a little sugar and salt . It did n't help that Union supply chains were riddled with corrupt food contractors who charged the government top dollar for rotten , stale , and insect-ridden foodstuffs . Coffee , however , was almost always fresh because it was delivered in whole-bean form -- making it difficult for even the most dishonest supplier to skimp on quality . Not that they did n't try , of course . In fact , officials began requesting coffee as whole beans after some crooked contractors tried to up their per-pound profits by slipping sand and dirt into packages of ground coffee . In 1861 , hoping to cut down on the time soldiers spent roasting and grinding beans , the army switched to a concentrated proto-instant coffee . The new concoction ,
-LRB- Mental Floss -RRB- -- Even in the midst of the Civil War , there was still one thing the North and South shared -- a serious addiction to caffeine . Confederate troops were less likely to get a cup of coffee . In that respect , the Union clearly had an advantage . Not only did the North have more than two-thirds of the population and control most of the heavy industry , railroads , and financial reserves in the country , it hoarded supplies of the highly addictive little bean , leaving the Confederacy to wage its own war against java deprivation . Coffee : It 's what 's for breakfast , lunch and dinner Throughout the Civil War , coffee was as prevalent on the battlefields as it is in offices today . In fact , the Union army was fueled by the stuff to the point that , if there was no time to boil water , the Boys in Blue would chew on whole beans as they marched . And at night , Union campsites were dotted with tiny fires , each boiling a pot of coffee like a million miniature Starbucks . Beyond caffeine