At Fort Warren, rank and financial status determined the quality of food residents ate. Union soldiers received rations of fresh beef with potatoes three times a week, salt beef, pork or ham three times a week, and baked beans on Sunday. Confederate soldier prisoners ate the same rations, but cooked their meals in large pots outside their rooms instead of eating in mess halls. Southern political prisoners and officers who could afford it arranged for food from Boston caterers. The "North Carolina Mess," made up of prisoners from Cape Hatteras, bought extras such as cheese and crackers, sausages, and cakes for 16 cents a day.