“Whatever may be said about other portions of the rations, the coffee was always good. I never saw any poor coffee, and it was a blessing it was so, for it became the solders’ solace and stay, in camp, on picket and on the march.

Tired, footsore, and dusty from the march, or wet and cold on picket, or homesick and shivering in camp, there were rest and comfort and new life in a cup of hot coffee.”

– Frederick Hitchcock, 132nd Pennsylvania

Hitchcock settled in Scranton before the Civil War, becoming an officer in the US Army during the conflict. He served with the 132nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a unit made up of many soldiers from the Coal Region.

Apparently, he was also quite the lover of all things coffee.

He wrote an incredible book about his experiences with the 132nd Pennsylvania during the Civil War. You can read it here.

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