Colonial Brazier

On the same day George Washington was made Commander in Chief of the Continental Army (June 16, 1775), Congress approved a quartermaster general and commissary general of stores and provisions.  Major Thomas Mifflin assumed the role and earned $80 a month for his trouble.  To keep his soldiers in fair health and modest spirits, he ordered rations of a pound of hardtack, half a pound of beef and pork, a pint of milk, butter, peas, and mercifully a quart of beer per soldier per day.  While well intentioned, servicemen were lucky to receive even half this amount and instead relied largely on hunted game and local donations.  Having food at all was an enormous advantage over the British, who were still struggling to find a way to supply tens of thousands of men from three thousand miles away.  But preparing it remained a challenge.

Enter the colonial brazier.  A luxury in a time of dire necessity, these hand forged, integrated design, camp stoves could be found throughout Washington’s encampments.  The handles were often made of ash and the rest of iron.  They were lightweight and easy to use and made one thing simple when everything else was intrinsically miserable.

Before I was part of the family, my father in law would use this when camping.  These days we use the grill only very rarely as a piece of retro-chic nostalgia.