The Saber and Scroll
and drinking coffee helps soldiers bond . They help each other make the brew , talk about its pros and cons , collectively attempt to make better coffee , and complain about its absence when it is not there . To have coffee in common contributes to building and sustaining the will and the commitment to each other and the unit that is essential to success , despite combat or mission stress . This is as true today as it ever was . Making and sharing coffee brings aid and comfort to the battlefield and the camp . The Coffee Wagon , the steaming tin cup , and the communal pot draw troops together for a moment of camaraderie amid the realities of war .
As the Civil War continued and the Union army grew , its camps became
makeshift cities , housing hundreds of thousands of men . “ They were in battle maybe one or two weeks of the whole year ,” according to John Grinspan . “ They weren ’ t always shooting their rifles at enemies , or being chased or fired upon , but every day they made coffee . Here ’ s an irony . These soldiers who were fighting ostensibly to end slavery were fueled by coffee from slave fields in Brazil .” 24
Afterword
This piece was written during the
COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 .
One of the interesting ideas to come from adapting to life in quarantine was the increase in podcasts and
Private William McKinley , Twenty-Third Ohio Vol . Infantry , Co . E . National Park Service .
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