In the Can: Civil War Food Preservation

In 1974, samples of canned food from the wreck of the Bertrand, a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1865, were tested by the National Food Processors Association. Although appearance, smell, and vitamin content had deteriorated, there was no trace of microbial growth, and the 109-year-old food was determined to be still safe to eat.[1]

The term “Civil War rations” usually calls to mind hardtack and salt pork. In truth, the Civil War was responsible for popularizing a form of food preservation that we all recognize today—canned goods. Peter Durand, a British merchant, was granted a patent in 1810 by King George III to preserve food using tinplated cans. Tin was already being used as a coating on steel and iron to prevent corrosion, but Durand’s patent was the first evidence of food being heated and sterilized in a tin container.[2] The food was sealed in the can, put in cold water, and gradually brought to a boil. The can was then opened slightly and then sealed again. Early tin cans were sealed by lead solder, which could cause lead poisoning. Bryan Donkin developed the process of packing food in airtight cans made of tinned wrought iron, although the process was slow—each can had to be handmade and the maximum output was six cans an hour. In addition, the food would take up to six hours to cook. However, by 1817, Donkin had a booming business selling canned meat to the British Army and Royal Navy.[3]

In America, Robert Ayars established the first canning factory in 1812 in New York City. He used tin-plated wrought-iron cans to preserve oysters, meats, fruits, and vegetables. Thomas Kensett and Ezra Daggett patented the use of tin plate in 1825 and also started a canning business in New York. As the demand for canned goods increased, the manufacturing process was greatly improved—by the 1860s smaller, machine-made steel cans were available and the time to cook food in them had been reduced from six hours to 30 minutes.[4]  

With the start of the American Civil War in 1861, canning became a booming business, as the military demand for non-perishable food increased. Canned goods were abundant, especially for officers and hospitals. Oysters and fruit were common foods offered, but the most notable canned good to come out of the Civil War was condensed milk.

In 1853, Gail Borden successfully produced sweetened condensed milk in cans and launched the New York Condensed Milk Company in 1857. The product was so popular with Civil War soldiers that he could not keep up with the demand and had to sell licenses to other dairy companies allowing them to use his patent process.[5] Borden Dairy products are still available today.

Additionally, the beef industry saw a surge in business. In Chicago, Gustavus Swift and P.D. Armour opened massive slaughterhouses and hired every butcher in the area to produce canned beef for Union soldiers. This is often regarded as the beginning of the modern meatpacking industry.[6] In Indianapolis, Gilbert Van Camp, a former tinsmith, began canning fruits and vegetables in 1861, secured a contract with the federal government to supply the Union army, and would eventually invent canned pork and beans. Van Camp’s Pork and Beans is still in business today.[7]  

While the industry saw great strides in the design and types of cans used, the can opener was slow to follow. After the introduction of much thinner cans in the 1850s, can openers were introduced by Robert Yeates in 1855 and Ezra J. Warner in 1858. They resembled a bayonet (which is what most Civil War soldiers would use to open their canned goods).[8] The push lever opener, which is similar to the type used in modern day, was introduced in 1860.

A Civil War soldier had a notoriously poor diet that would often contribute to the sickness and disease that caused two out of every three deaths during the war. However, it is clear that canned foods were one source of food that helped, rather than hindered the army.

About the Author

Tracey McIntire earned her BA in English at Rivier College in Nashua, NH. She is Director of Communications at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, and an interpretive volunteer at Antietam National Battlefield. She is also an active Civil War living historian, where she portrays a woman soldier in various guises.

Sources

[1] Blumenthal, Dale (September 1990). “The Canning Process; Old Preservation Technique Goes Modern”. FDA Consumer. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.

[2] Geoghegan, Tom. “The story of how the tin can nearly wasn’t,” BBC News Magazine, April 21, 2013

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning

[5] Nash, Elias. “The Canned Rations Fed To Soldiers During The Civil War,” Tasting Table.com, Oct. 26, 2022

[6] Ibid.

[7] Nash, Elias. “The Canned Rations Fed To Soldiers During The Civil War,” Tasting Table.com, Oct. 26, 2022

[8] Broday, Linda. “Early Canned Foods in America,” Petticoats and Pistols.com, June 11, 2013