The Wonderful Potato-Patch by Annie Wittenmyer
During the potato scarcity of 1862, the women of Muscatine, Iowa, sought potatoes for soldiers. Given the use of a field, they gathered seed potatoes and enlisted old men, women, and children to plant and cultivate a “Sanitary Potato-Patch” through cheerful communal picnics. During a drought, a cloud drenched their field while barely sprinkling neighboring land. The immense harvest was shipped to St. Louis for distribution in camps and hospitals, including fifteen hundred bushels in one shipment. Potatoes aided soldiers suffering from scurvy. At Island No. 10, one hundred bushels were divided among an Iowa regiment of over a thousand men. When soldiers complained that officers had taken most of them, the narrator confronted the colonel, then learned that each company’s ten bushels could supply only about two messes per man. She apologized and explained the arithmetic to the soldiers.
By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Civil War History, Historical Nonfiction, Memoir · 937 words
First lines
In the spring of 1862 potatoes were very scarce and dear.
The women of Muscatine, Iowa, who were earnest workers in the Soldiers' Aid Society of that town, were anxious to secure potatoes to send to the army. They decided to canvass the town and the region round about for that purpose.
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Genres
- Civil War History — The account is set in 1862 and documents civilian aid efforts supplying Union soldiers and hospitals during the American Civil War.
- Historical Nonfiction — It presents a factual reminiscence of the Muscatine Soldiers' Aid Society's potato-growing campaign, including places, quantities, and wartime conditions.
- Memoir — The first-person narrator recounts events she personally witnessed or administered, including receiving, distributing, and discussing the potatoes with soldiers and officers.
- Women's History — The narrative emphasizes the organizational labor, agricultural work, and patriotic service performed by women during the war.
Tags
American Civil War · 1862 · Muscatine, Iowa · St. Louis, Missouri · Island No. 10 · Union soldiers · Soldiers' Aid Society · women's wartime relief work · home-front volunteerism · community agriculture · potato cultivation · food shortages
What this Textopian page supports
The Wonderful Potato-Patch is listed on Textopian as a historical account by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Historical account
- Author: Annie Wittenmyer
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Civil War History, Historical Nonfiction, Memoir, Women's History, Social History
- Length: 937 words
- Structure: 1 section, 24 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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