How Coffee Helped the Union Caffeinate Their Way to Victory in the Civil War

For Union soldiers, a cup of coffee made hardtack biscuits more palatable. Heritage Auctions Ten months into the Civil War, the Union was short on a crucial supply, the absence of which threatened to sap the fighting strength of the Northern army: coffee. This critical source of energy and morale was considered almost as vital as gunpowder; Union General Benjamin Butler ordered his soldiers to carry coffee with…