Hardtack and coffee or the unwritten story of army life by john d billings is an exhaustive and fascinating look back at the flesh bones and blood of those lines and arrows on the maps of civil war battle strategies the book is filled with anecdotes observations and songs arising from the era i very much appreciated the introduction which details the election of 1860 and started the . Hard tack and coffee the unwritten story of army life 1887 is a memoir by john d billings billings was a veteran of the 10th massachusetts volunteer light artillery battery in the american civil war. Hardtack and coffee is one of the few to give a vivid detailed picture of what ordinary soldiers endured every day in camp on the march at the edge of a booming smoking hell john d billings of massachusetts enlisted in the army of the potomac and curvived the conditions he recorded the authenticity of h. Hardtack and coffee or the unwritten story of army life including chapters on enlisting life in tents and log huts jonahs and beats offences and engineer corps the signal corps etc 1887 john davis billings 9781112134012 books amazonca. Hardtack and coffee the unwritten story of army life billings john d 9781530731305 books amazonca