These letters describe the odyssey of Carl Hilmar Guenther; who sailed from Germany in 1848 at the age of 22; to seek his fortune in America. For two years he tried construction and factory work in New York; farming and milling in Wisconsin and Ohio and was a carpenter on a plantation in Louisiana. Then he learned of opportunities in Texas. In 1851 Guenther built the only grist mill in the German community of Fredericksburg; Texas. Eight years later he built a new mill in nearby San Antonio and put down roots. His legacy continues through C. H. Guenther Son; Inc.; a San Antonio-based food products company. It is the oldest business in Texas and the oldest continuously-operating family-owned milling company in the United States. The first letters to and from Guenther's family in Germany were written at the time of his departure from Germany in 1848. They continue through the travails of getting established on the Texas frontier; then on through the Civil War to his only return visit to Germany; in 1891. They were translated from German by Regina Beckmann Hurst and by Walter D. Kamphoefner; Texas AM University professor of history; who also contributed the foreword.
#1880477 in Books 2006-02-20Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x .88 x 6.50l; 1.15 #File Name: 186176233X232 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Comprehensive yet readable lookBy A Florida ReaderThis is a (surprisingly) interesting look at how the British navy was fed during the era of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It doesn't just limit itself to a look at the food and drink of the sailors and officers; but also looks at the whole chain of procurement; packing; delivery and storage of food and drink. Anyone with an interest in the period might have picked up bits and pieces of the process from a number of sources; but this book does a fantastic job of looking at it in great detail through a well done narrative. It is pleasantly readable as well. It should be a mandatory addition to anyone's library of the navy of the Nelson era.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. A Remarkable Case of ResearchBy HMS WarspiteIn "Feeding Nelson's Navy"; author Janet MacDonald has put together some remarkable research to lay waste the myths of shipboard feeding in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.The British Navy; in the long struggle against Revolutionary and then Imperial France; kept tens of thousands of men at sea for months on end. Popular myth has them subsisting on rotten salted meat and weevily bread. MacDonald shows the sailor aboard the average British warship ate a sufficient and reasonably nutritious diet. Official rations were based on biscuit (pilot bread for today's readers); salt beef; salt pork; cheese; peas; oatmeal; and beer. These were the foods which kept best in a world without refrigeration or canning. Other foods were provided when available; and the British Navy lead the way in experimenting with dried vegetables; "portable" soups; and lemon juice to stave off nutritional diseases such as scurvy.The British Navy's ability to supply its sailors with a good ration through years of war were thanks to the efforts of the Navy Board and its victualing system. MacDonald's description of its business techniques may be daunting for the reader; but the lesson is that the system was made to work; around the fleet and around the world; in a consistent manner. No other navy of the period enjoyed so much consistent success at sea.Along with the details of the ration cycle and the mechanics of the supply system; MacDonald provides considerable insight into "messing" at sea; a vital and often unremarked portion of naval culture.This book is very highly reccommended to students of the Nelsonian Navy and of the Napoleonic Wars. MacDonald has mined this particular academic niche to its reasonable limits.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A must have for your sailing library...By Frank E. EllisonGreat historical work for those of us who love sailing and sailing lore...
