America at War : The Common Cup
One of the most memorable examples of just how much a cup of coffee meant to a Union soldier is illustrated by a monument on the Antietam battlefield near Burnside ’ s Bridge . It was erected in 1903 and commemorates the place where an enlisted nineteenyear-old brought pots of hot coffee to his battling regiment during combat in the battle of Antietam . It was the morning of September 17 , 1862 . The Twenty-Third Ohio had marched two miles to enter the firefight at a stone bridge spanning Antietam Creek . They had left camp without breakfast or even a cup of coffee . It was the job of young Private William McKinley , former Ohio schoolteacher and current Commissary Sergeant , to feed his men , and there had been no time to do so . From McKinley ’ s position back at camp , he could hear the sound of battle . He quickly decided what he could do to help the cause . He brewed as much coffee as possible , grabbed some food , and loaded everything into two wagons . Driving a couple of mules , McKinley guided his team toward the battlefield . General J . L . Botsford of the Ohio Volunteers later wrote :
It was nearly dusk when we heard tremendous cheering from the left of our regiment . As we had been having heavy fighting right up to this time , our division commander , General Scammon , sent me to find out the cause which I very soon found to be cheers for McKinley and his hot coffee . It was like putting a new regiment in the fight . 22
The men held out tin cups , gulped Private McKinley ’ s brew , and started firing again .
The monument at Antietam reads : William McKinley
January 29 , 1843 - September 14 , 1901
Fourteen Years Member of Congress
Twice Governor of Ohio 1892- 2 and 1894-5
Twice President of United States 1897-1900-1901
Sergeant McKinley Co . E . 23rd Ohio Vol . Infantry , while in charge of the Commissionary Department , on the afternoon of the day of the battle of Antietam , September 17 , 1862 , personally and without orders served hot coffee and warm food to every man in the Regiment , on this spot and in doing so had to pass under fire . 23
When William McKinley braved enemy fire to bring his comrades a warm cup , he knew what it meant to them .
Almost every event of the Civil War has a coffee aspect , and this deserves attention for one specific reason . In general , Americans have always supported their military — from the earliest militias before the Revolution to today ’ s armed forces spread over the globe . Citizens have sought ways to show our people in uniform that they are supported . Coffee has long been recognized as essential to good unit cohesion . Making
127