A Good Hint

The Springfield (Mass.) Republican makes the following suggestion to soldiers and their friends, which may prove of far more value than much advice of greater length and pretensions:

The Republican has already recommended as a relief from thirst, for the soldier, a clove taken in the mouth, to promote the flow of saliva and relieve the irritation, without the evil effects of bad water, and worse whiskey. Many other substances are almost equally useful, not including tobacco, for with that the saliva cannot be swallowed. A soldier said that on a long and fatiguing march, tea was a great refreshment. Granted, but in the desert fields of Virginia, a man is not at his own tea table. Doubtless a cup of Mocha coffee would be equally acceptable. No, he said, a comrade had a little box filled with tea, and each day merely took a few leaves in his mouth. We might believe it, or not, but it was as good as a cup of tea. It is worth trying. Let those who are putting up a box for [pet] soldiers put in a few cloves and some tea with these suggestions.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, April 24, 1862, p. 2