[USA] Hard Tack [English subtitles]

A parody of a classic song “Hard times, come again no more“, that came about during the US Civil War. This version was sung by the 97th regimental band who make absolutely amazing mid-19th century music from the United States and you should definitely check them out. For those who don’t know what “hard tack“ is, they were biscuits but recooked multiple times to dry them out and prevent moisture from molding them over. In the US Army they were a core ration as part of the early army diet due to its longevity and transportability. In the Mexican-American War of 1848, the United States Federal government ordered for the production of multiple tons of hard tack in the expectation that Mexico would fight longer than they did. This, however, did not occur but the hard tack was already produced so they were put in storage for the time being. By the outbreak of the United States’ Civil War, the Federal government made use of this hardtack store which turned out to still be in “““good““ condition“. Both the Union and Confederate armies absolutely despised hardtack, as they were often found to have weevil larvae within them, making them distasteful. So yeah, the US Civil War’s armies were fed on 20 year old crackers.