What’s a dirt dish?
In the early 1800s most families used metal plates and cups, mostly made from tin or pewter. Metal plates lasted longer, because they didn't break like pottery. During the Civil War most metal was needed for the war effort. The Union Blockade prevented metal items from being shipped into the South. So Southern potters made dishes for soldiers and civilians from clay. After the war people collected dirt dishes as souvenirs.

What's all that writing say?
The writing and card were added to the plate in the early 1900s by a museum. The text tells about the Northern Blockade of the South during the Civil War.