Civil War Candy? Who knew!

It's true! Civil War soldiers did eat sugars and sweets - for many, they proved a vital part of their survival. Some were considered medicines, others treats. Some were sent in packages from home, and others given to them by the army. Regardless, you'll enjoy experience their flavors, textures and, above all, stories, told on the back of our keepsake tag. Comes with 12 different samples. The perfect gift for the history lover - an amazing trip through time!

Civil War soldiers valued sugars as medicine, food, and morale boosters throughout the Civil War. Favorites came in packages from home for lucky soldiers, likely jelly beans, a direct descendant of the 9th century Arabic sore throat remedy turned treat Turkish Delight. Also medicinal in origin was stain glass candy - a version appeared in Martha Washington's cookbook - and lemon drops.

 

Civil War Sweets & Sugars

Some soldiers made favorites for themselves at the start of the war, such as molasses pulls. Hospitals and other organizations sent packages, many items such as cacao and sugar recommended by the new US Sanitary Commission. Cane sugar was common at first, replaced by beet sugar, among others, all able to grow in cool climates. Soldiers bought or found dried fruit and other goods will foraging.

 

Government Sweets & Sutlers

The government provided a small variety of sweets. Figures such as Grant shipped large quantities of cranberries, rich in sugar and vitamin C, to Union troops at the Battle of St. Petersburg. Soldiers with enough money bought goods from sutlers, disreputable merchants selling over-priced, hard-to-find items such as ginger and coffee, which troops used boiled or ate whole. The sutlers were later replaced by commissaries, providing approved goods at a reasonable cost.

Civil War soldiers valued sugars as medicine, food, and morale boosters throughout the Civil War. Favorites came in packages from home for lucky soldiers, likely jelly beans, a direct descendant of the 9th century Arabic sore throat remedy turned treat Turkish Delight. Also medicinal in origin was stain glass candy - a version appeared in Martha Washington's cookbook - and lemon drops.

 

Civil War Sweets & Sugars

Some soldiers made favorites for themselves at the start of the war, such as molasses pulls. Hospitals and other organizations sent packages, many items such as cacao and sugar recommended by the new US Sanitary Commission. Cane sugar was common at first, replaced by beet sugar, among others, all able to grow in cool climates. Soldiers bought or found dried fruit and other goods will foraging.

 

Civil War soldiers used sugars and sweets in so many ways! At first, they used sugar for candy. I even found a letter from one soldier saying he pulled molasses sugar into an early version of taffy. Some families sent flavored “boiled sugar” that looked like “stained glass.” Confectioners also sent such candies as NECCO wafers and jellybeans from their shops. Hospitals and government “commissions” provided cocoa beans and sugar – both considered healthy and medicinal!  Watch out for the cacoa beans – they’re bitter! As for Ulysses Grant: he sent Union troops pounds and pounds of cranberries.

 Early in the war plantations, where sugar cane was grown and produced by slaves, closed down. Instead, people used sugar made from a special “sugar beet” and sorghum grain. Abolitionists had used both of these alternatives before the Civil War as part of their boycott of foods made by slaves. By the end of the war, even these sugars, and so many other foods, were hard to find!

 Some hungry soldiers bought food from people called “sutlers,” who set up shops close to the battlefields. They sold such items as dried apples and hard tack – a very hard biscuit that the government provided, as well. Sometimes bugs got into the food, but the soldiers ate them anyway. Another favorite of soldiers was coffee. Since the troops sometimes marched day and night, they couldn’t stop to brew the coffee into a drink, so they ate the beans instead. YIKES! The beans are bitter, but the soldiers didn’t mind since coffee kept them awake. 

 Over time, soldiers raided homes, farms, and fields - any place with food. They found maple sugar and even licorice roots which they chewed to clean their teeth. They even ate dandelions and drank the leaves and stems as tea. One of the most prized fruits was blackberries. They represented something special to one Union soldier who I heard say this: “You must not think that we fight because we are mad, for it is not the case, for we [all the soldiers] pick blackberries together and off the same bush at the same time…”   

 In their Own Words: Does talk about the medicinal value but also a treat, especially blackberries. We have hard candies and/or teas in each of these flavors.

• Blackberries. Used to treat digestive issues, kidney stones, and snake bites.

“You must not think that we fight because we are mad, for it is not the case, for we pick blackberries together [with Confederate soldiers] and off the same bush at the same time…” Private John F. Brobst (Wisconsin) near Atlanta Georgia, Aug.1864.

• Dandelion. Used to treat itch, gallstones, and jaundice. Also used as coffee.

“I must get some medicine in lieu of dandelions, of which we can get none here.” Lieutenant Theodore A. Dodge (New York) near Harrison’s Landing, VA. July, 1862.

 

• Rose Hips. Used as a tea, medicinal value likely from Vitamin C.
  • “We scattered through the Prairie to gather the berries of the wild rose bush.” Private Nelson Stauffer (Illinois) near Bridgeport, AL. Dec.,1863
• Maple. Used as a food and sweetener, the bark to treat eye disorders.

“The scenery is very beautiful…Our camp was in a nice sugar [maple] grove, and on one side of us at the foot of the hill is another nice sugar grove.” Private Issac      Jackson (Ohio) near Paris Kentucky. October,1862.

  

• Oak. Used to treat “chronic hysteria,” diarrhea, asthma, tuberculosis.
  • “I slept under the shade of a large oak and dreamed of you, my best beloved but only waked to find that you were not lying upon my arm...” Sargent Edwin H. Fay (Louisiana) in Decatur Alabama. May, 1863. Letter to his wife.
• Sassafras. Used to treat fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, and mumps.
  • “There is ‘right smart’ sassafras all over the hills around here. We had tea of it...and I thought it was first rate.” Private George A. Remley (Iowa) in Rolla Missouri. September, 1862. Letter to his father.

  Plus honey for the spirit and licorice chewed for the teeth.

SUTLER SUPPLIES:

Union soldiers spent money, when they had it, at sutler’s stores - traveling groceries, frequently in tents, that followed the troops and sold raisins, citrus fruit, molasses candy, apples and sugar. While often disreputable and overpriced, they did offer soldiers alternatives to the sparse wartime rations.

Candies that played a role in the Civil War

Packages from Home. An often forgotten part of the Civil War soldiers’ foods are those that came from home. Women, especially, knit clothing, devised boxes and packing materials, and baked, bought, or otherwise found clothes and foods to send the troops. These included sugar, jellies, dried fruits, herbal teas, and candy popular at the time.

  

Package of the Sanitary Commission’ Best.  The United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) was started in 1861 to educate staff field hospitals and advise the public on healthy foods and shipping methods when sending packages to the troops. The In 1862, the Xenia Torchlight wrote they recommended dried fruits and berries of all kinds, jellies and cocoa. Other items soldiers received were sugar, coffee, and horehound and other drops.  Photo by Tyson Brothers. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. Battlefield of Gettysburgh [sic] : Headquarters of U.S. Sanitary Commission. 1865.
 

The Maine Camp and Hospital Association Collection.  Numerous associations sent packages to the troops, including the Maine Camp and Hospital Association.  As well as clothing, medical supplies and more, in 1862 they sent marmalade, dried apples, tamarinds, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cocoa, strawberries in a jar, figs, candy, lozenges, peppermint, tea. Other items would have included dried berries and ginger snaps.

     

Individual selections 

These items come in recyclable, FDA-approved plastic bags, with a tie at the top. As they’re easy to carry, lightweight, and re-sealable, this packaging is a favorite of tourists. The story of the candy is on the front and/or back label. Note: Many of these items can come in smaller “Take-A-Break” sizes, perfect beside the register with lower price points that appeal to kids. 

Bag of Bugs. Plain roasted meal worms and crickets. Eaten by desire or usually default throughout the Civil War. 

Brittle. The peanut brittle first appeared in the South —the first candy to contain the peanut. Civil War soldiers likely received the brittle in packages from home, made from any number of sugars such as sorghum or cane. 

Cream Candy. An unusual candy, one of the early “penny candies” of the mid-1800s and likely one of the candies sent to the troops. Tastes like cake frosting. 

 

Dried Fruit Mix. A blend of dried native fruits and nuts. The fruits include grapes, strawberries, tart cherries, and persimmons and the nuts, walnuts and peanuts. All were an important part of the soldiers’ diets when they could get them – often in packages from home, through foraging.  (SEE IN THEIR OWN WORDS)

Drops. Flavored drops were an 1800s confection that straddled the line between their medicinal origin and the budding candy industry. Also considered lozenges, the most curative element sugar, although many were helpful for everything from stomach ailments to a toothache. Drops were sent to the troops by various groups supporting the soldiers and packages from home. The medicinal quality is on the label. 

Gibralter - The first commercial candy in the U.S. In unique packaging. Mary Spencer, who made the candy, was shipwrecked coming over from England with her son in the 1800s. As she was destitute, the townswomen gave her a barrel of sugar which she used to make the candy. She sold these in front of a church and, with her earnings, bought a horse and buggy. As she went from town-to-town selling the Gibralter, carried escaped slaves under her seat to ports where ships would bring them to freedom.  Eventually she bought a house, opened the first candy store, selling the Gibralter. The business never closed. 

Jelly Beans – Traditional. The “traditional” jelly bean was first made in Boston in the mid-1800s and sent to the Union soldiers. Based on the Turkish delight, they were also called “jellies.” 

 

Licorice Root. Licorice root was boiled as a tea, used as a curative for colds and other ailments, and chewed to clean the teeth. Civil War soldiers may have found it growing, received it in packages from home, or even at the sutlers’ stores. 

Molasses Pulls. Enslaved African Americans could not use sugar, but they did eat molasses. Some pulled the molasses into an early version of taffy. The pulls were sent to be eaten by both Union and, at least in the beginning of the war, some Confederate soldiers.  

NOTE: Our pulls are handmade using real molasses and made in small batches. 

Peanuts. Peanuts have been significant to American history since the arrival of enslaved Africans.  The enslaved people boiled peanuts with a variety of available spices, herbs, and other products. During the War, peanuts were of great importance to everyone. They were healthy, filling and bountiful, at least for a time. These peanuts are representative of some of them.  Comes in two types

Rock Candy. Rock candy was a typical 19th century treat and fermenting agent, popular in an 1800s favorite saloon drink – rock and rye. It was also used by the soldiers while sugar was available, as it was considered medicinal and healthy. A traditional white rock candy on a string. 

Spice Drops. A hard-to-find candy with a following, first made around 1800, based on the Turkish delight, and popular candy at home. Sent to soldiers in packages from home. 

Sugar – Amber Beet This amber-colored raw sugar, made from the sugar beet, has a rich flavor. It was one of the many alternatives abolitionists used in their boycott of cane sugar, and later eclipsed cane sugar to become a leading American favorite.

Sugar Cubes – Brown. These sugars reflect those nipped from the 18th and 19th century cones. The brown cubes contain more molasses than the white ones. Sugar was sent to soldiers throughout the War, used for its flavor and health and medicinal qualities. 

Sugar Cubes – White. These sugars reflect those nipped from the 18th and 19th century cones. The brown cubes contain more molasses than the white ones. Sugar was sent to soldiers throughout the War, used for its flavor and health and medicinal qualities. 

Sugar Maple Candy. Used by Native Americans, abolitionists in their boycott of cane sugar and its ties to slavery, and as a cane sugar replacement during the two World Wars. 

Sugar Plum – Mix. The real thing, sugar plums were named for panned nuts and seeds, especially enjoyed by European American women of refinement in the 18th and 19th centuries. This candy is the parent to other 19th century favorites, such as the Jaw Breaker. Sells well all year long, particularly with a sign indicating their authenticity. 

Sugar - Sorghum Drops. Sorghum “sugar” used by enslaved workers in the 17th century and later more broadly throughout the South. In the North abolitionists boycotted cane sugar for its role in enslavement and used sorghum, instead. Sorghum was an important sugar during the Civil War, as it grew in all climates and could fill the absence left by cane sugar. 

Sticks – Hand-pulled The original pulled sticks circa 16th Century which remained popular through-out the 1800s and were among the candies provided to the Civil War soldiers. Made by hand in Massachusetts, exclusively for True Treats. A cool weather product. 

Sugar Sticks. Three-inch candies first made around 1837 when a machine was introduced in Boston to make them. The Civil War soldiers enjoyed the candy sticks as a treat which were portable, impervious to cold and heat and didn’t mold. 

• Vanilla
• Peppermint

Turkish Delight. A best-seller, this venerable candy originated as a medicine for sore throats in the Arabic apothecaries around 900 CE. Its popularity grew worldwide in the mid-1700s and was enjoyed on its own and the basis of jelly candies such as the jelly bean and gum drops, sent to Union soldiers during tha  Civil War.