Thursday, October 10, 2013

Letters During Wartime: Cola Wars

One of the greatest resources an historian can use to gain insight into any given time period is the first person account of its citizens on the world around them. This has proven especially true during times of war, since, when a nation's populace is thrown into disarray by conflict, often times the only surviving historical records are those written and kept by partisan officials, who by their nature will be biased as to the health and stability of their political charge. Surprisingly, it has proven time and again, that the most reliable and numerous accounts during times of military action come not from those at home, but from the correspondence of the soldiers themselves, who would send regular letters to loved ones in an attempt to alleviate and assuage their fears of the dangers at the front line.

Those letters recovered and preserved from the Cola Wars, remain as some of history's greatest social document resources to date. Here are excerpts from some of the most revealing letters kept on record.

- Dudley P. Ackleman Ph.D., Professor of Refreshment Studies