Blue Gray Review

Mint juleps only a memory under Richmond’s martial law?

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch June 17 (or 16), 1862:

Provost guard.

–Capt. Bossieux’s company is doing provost guard duty in the Eastern District, and have proved themselves energetic in the performance of duty. They arrested on Saturday more than fifty deserters, and captured seventy gallons of terrible whiskey.

Also from the same issue:

In Limbo.

–Jim Cook, the celebrated toddy mixer, (in the days of mint juleps,) was put in Castle Godwin yesterday, on suspicion of dispensing the ardent contrary to the provisions of the proclamation declaring martial law in Richmond. Jim solemnly asseverated his entire innocence of the charge.

A couple days earlier the editors at the Dispatch thought that the prohibition on alcohol should not be applied to soldiers doing their duty in terrible conditions and used Stonewall’s growing renown to make up their point. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch June 14, 1862:

Spirit rations for the army.

We were surprised to hear a few days ago from an old soldier that spirit rations are not served out to the men in our army. In our opinion, this accounts in some measure for the ravages of disease and of death in our rank. A small quantity of whiskey twice a day is almost essential to the health of men who undergo such exposures and hardships as those of the soldier. Especially is this the case where the men are unable to procure coffee. Coffee is a great stimulant and invigorator. In the French army it is greatly in use, and perhaps deserves no little credit for some great victories. In the Yankee army the men have regular spirit and coffee rations. It is rather hard that our brave fellows should have neither, and be obliged to contend against superior numbers besides. This great omission ought at once to be rectified. There ought to be whiskey enough in the country to supply an army as large as that of Xerxes for a year. We had supposed when the sale of whiskey was prohibited to citizens and to soldiers in cities, one object was to preserve the supply, which, in moderate quantities, is highly important for the fighting man. It was right and proper to keep whiskey out of the hands of those who would use it for evil purposes, and to prevent soldiers who are off duty from drinking to excess; but a wine glass full twice a day to a man who is digging ditches from sunrise till sunset, and sleeping on the wet ground at night, or standing guard in the winter snows till his feet are frozen to the ground — as repeatedly happened to our sentries last winter — is a very different matter. It is a thing, under such circumstances, of almost absolute necessity, and the quality being regulated by army rules, excess is impossible. We have heard that old Stonewall says that, though he never drinks himself, nothing does him more good than to see his men refreshing themselves with the modest allowance which is contained in the spirit ration. This snows the practical good sense and discrimination of this valuable officer. He does not tickle his own palate with wines, and then withhold whiskey rations from his soldiers; but, on the contrary, whilst he denies himself, has no desire to make his own abstinence a rule for everybody else. Nothing can be more horrible and disgusting than intemperance, and an army of drunkards would make short work with any cause committed to their hands. We should be glad indeed if whiskey were put out of the reach of every man, citizen or soldier, who has not the virtue of self control, but that should not lead us to deprive men of a prescribed moderate quantity, who are performing such extraordinary labors as those required of the soldier.