I'm looking for information on late 18th century coffee cylindrical
coffee mills.  We found one at Mount Independence (Revolutionary War
site).  Unfortunately, the milling component is missing and only the
container for the grounds was found.  There are no names or symbols
stamped into it.  It's made from sheet copper and looks a lot like the
coffee mill pictured in Neumann and Kravic's Collector's Illustrated
Encyclopedia of the American Revolution.  Where were these mills made?
Who would have used it?  Was coffee a common ration to the soldiers or
did they have to buy it from sutlers?  Was coffee used as just a beverage
or also as a medicine during the eighteenth century?
 
Thanks for your time!
 
Scott A. McLaughlin
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum