166 Feeding the Sick and Injured in The Civil War:  Apparently You Can't Run a War Without Women episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 15, 2026 · 35 MIN

166 Feeding the Sick and Injured in The Civil War: Apparently You Can't Run a War Without Women

from The History of American Food · host Margaret Hardin

In the Last Big War we threw in America we still had "Camp Followers" to do the laundry, the nursing and a good amount of the cooking (not to mention helping with loading guns).  And George Washington hated having these women around so much that Army practice - and new war philosophies got rid of most of them.  But then, the American Civil War started producing injured guys in the 1000's.Suddenly having women around to do nursing and laundry was important.  And they had to call the women back.  To be fair - they did it more officially this time. To find out who these women were - and what they fed you - listen in.Also - Spoiler:  Still better to be an officer.Books Referenced:A Mother's Work: Mary Ann Bickerdyke by Mary VangorderThe Big Burn by Timothy EganMusic Credit: Fingerlympics by Doctor TurtleSubstack: https://thoafood.substack.com/Email: TheHistoryofAmericanFood at gmail dot comThreads: @THoAFoodInstagram: @THoAFoodShow Notes: https://thehistoryofamericanfood.blogspot.com/& some other socials... @THoAFood

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 15, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

166 Feeding the Sick and Injured in The Civil War: Apparently You Can't Run a War Without Women

0:00 35:40

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The History of American Food?

This episode is 35 minutes long.

When was this The History of American Food episode published?

This episode was published on April 15, 2026.

Can I download this The History of American Food episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!