Gen. Kautz was born in Germany in 1828 and immigrated to the United States while still young. He served as a private in the Mexican-American War and graduated from West Point in 1852. During the Civil War, he served for a time in the Union Army of the Tennessee and commanded Federal cavalry during the Appomattox campaign. During his career he wrote a “Customs of Service for Non-commissioned Officers and Soldiers” which outlines everything in army life, including to how to cook rations.
Kautz started the section on cooking by writing about what the soldiers should have to cook with.
“The mess-pans and camp- kettles are all that are furnished the soldier,” said Kautz. “Of these, the mess-pan is not available for cooking, and is only useful to serve up the food after being cooked. Frying-pans, tin cups, plates, knives and forks are sometimes issued to volunteers by State authorities on entering service, but are not subsequently furnished, and, when worn out or lost, must be replaced by means of the company fund.”
While Kautz didn’t write about it in his “Customs of Service,” Civil War soldiers came up with a clever substitute for frying pans — the canteen-half skillet. During battle, a canteen would be damaged or captured. The soldier would then remove the cloth cover, split the metal canteen along the seam, insert a stick or some other handle into the spout, and there you have it: a quick and easy skillet.
Kautz seemed to have great confidence in the food given to the soldiers.
“The ration allowed the soldier is large enough, and its component parts are sufficiently variable, to admit of a great variety of very palatable dishes,” he wrote.
That might be true on paper, as army rations were supposed to consist of 20 ounces of fresh or salt beef or 12 ounces of salt pork, a pound of flour or cornmeal, a pound of beans, 12 ounces of hardtack, two ounces of cheese, coffee, potatoes, peas and other vegetables when they could be obtained, sugar, salt, molasses, and fruit (dried or fresh).
It was rare that all of this was issued by the army. Items like milk, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit were only on the menu when the men would forage for themselves or bought it from one of the sutlers that followed the army.
