Each company had its own dedicated kitchen and mess hall where cooks, often soldiers themselves, prepared and served meals for the enlisted soldiers. Meals revolved around limited food supplies, mostly beef, bread, and canned goods, but a garden provided some fresh foods. Inspector-General Joseph Mansfield wrote on November 20, 1860, that Captain Granger had repeatedly made efforts for a garden and, by great labor during the past season, had succeeded in supplying his men with melons and summer vegetables to a considerable extent, although all the plants had to be watered by hand.