The New Orleans Committee of Subsistence, chaired by former New Orleans mayor William Freret, was appointed by U. S. General Benjamin Butler in May 1862, when Federal troops occupied New Orleans. Food was scarce and costly, and these problems had been intensified by a Union blockade, diminishing value of Confederate currency, and the disintegration of normal commerce. The Committee existed only a few months, but it did provide some temporary humanitarian relief. Items listed in shipping documents include: corn, peas, bacon, hams, beef, pork, pecans, oats, flour, barley, lard, dried apples, eggs, cabbage, potatoes, butter, cowpeas, cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, geese, coffee and whiskey.
From the description of New Orleans Committee of Subsistence records, 1862 May-June. (Tulane University). WorldCat record id: 747111826
