<Ul> <Li> Inflation had soared and incomes had not . </Li> <Li> Refugees had flooded the cities causing severe shortages of housing and overwhelming the old food supply system . Richmond tripled from 38,000 people in 1860 to over 100,000 by 1863 . </Li> <Li> Food supplies in rural areas were running short and less was exported to cities ; foraging armies , both Union and Confederate , ravaged crops and killed farm animals . </Li> <Li> Many cities -- especially Richmond -- were at the end of long supply lines , and internal transportation became increasingly difficult . </Li> <Li> The drought of 1862 created a poor harvest that did not yield enough in a time when food was already scarce . </Li> <Li> Salt , which at the time was the only practical meat preservative , was very expensive ( if available at all ) because it was generally an imported item . The Union blockade prevented imports , and the capture of Avery Island , with its salt - mine , exacerbated the problem . </Li> </Ul>
what caused the bread riots in richmond in 1863
Inflation Refugees drought internal transportation became increasingly difficult Salt Food supplies