What the soldiers said

I like to read diaries, letters and the like written by soldiers during the Civil War. It's fun to see the words and slang they used then. You may see a few we still use today.

Here are few words pertaining to food:

bully soup, panada: A cooked mixture of crushed hardtack, cornmeal, ginger and wine.

creeper: A term used by New England soldiers for a small skillet.

mud lark: Pig

skillygalee: Hardtack softened in water then fried in bacon grease.

slow bear: Stolen pig.

teeth dullers: Hardtack crackers.

treacle: Southern term for molasses.

Here are a few slang words:

bodega: Liquor store

calaboose: Jail

cooter: Turtle

cuffy: Black male

German corn: Rye

hoosegow: Jail

Irish hoist: A kick in the pants.

katzenjammers: The effects of a hangover.

shoddy: Cheap or low quality.

tumbled over: To be killed.

Here are a couple of books that might interest you: Everyday Life During The Civil War and The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s. There is pretty cool stuff in there. I used some of it in my stories.