Two of the most sought after foodstuffs in the Confederacy during the Civil War was coffee and salt. The lack of coffee in the Southern diet posed no real threat other than the lack of the good tasting drink. However, a shortage of salt was a factor in that it was needed for everyday use, and was necessary for curing meat to feed the residents of the South and the armies of the Confederacy. There was only one deposit of salt of any real amount located at Saltville, Virginia. This situation caused much anxiety. As a result, several salt works were erected along the Confederacy’s Gulf Coast…including one in Baldwin, Alabama. That site was also so important to the State of Alabama that the State General Assembly passed Act 38 on December 9,1862, creating the Alabama Salt Commission. From that point a Regulatory Agency was placed in charge of the purchase, manufacture, and transport off all salt. It also provided that an equal amount not to exceed 25 pound be sold to each household.