As it is for so many of us today, coffee was an essential treat for soldiers during the Civil War. That was particularly true for members of the 1st Special Battalion of Louisiana Infantry — better known as Wheat’s Tigers. So attached to their New Orleans-brewed Joe with added chicory, the Tigers had a thousand pounds of beans transported by train to Richmond leading up to the First Battle of Manassas. Café du Monde was a Crescent City hot spot during the war, and it remains so today. Recently author Richard Holloway indulged himself at the historic café.
