Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-02-20
Iive minutes the men we're as merry as


they were TO "go in." Now ! will de-
scribe another occurrence TO illustrate
the Confederate soldier under another
condition: Dearing and / had become
pretty well acquainted during this day
and the one last passed, and as / was TO
remain with him till sunset, he invited me
to dine with him. The hours came and
went, and | saw no preparations for the
meal. Hunger came and did not 20,
and still no pot was put on TO boil, n0r
skillet to bake corn bread, saw no
fat place in the camp fire where q
bed Of sweet potatoes might pos
sibly be slumbering under the hot
ashes and Goals; nothing Whatever could
/ see or smell. Ever and anon young
fellow would consult with the Colonel
(who was also young fellow Of twenty
three, about something, and they would
nod their heads gravely and separate.
This thing went on for some time, aud
finally an interview seemed to be salts
factory, for they both agreed by their
signs that something had come 10 a head
and was ended. Dearing came over to
my side of the tree There was ne such
thing as q tent in forty miles of us, and
it was the first part Of February and
proceeded to let me into a secret Said
he, Ny dear fellow, l invited you to
dinner an hour or two ago, which was
very rash thing for me to have done. ]
have made diligent search and inquiry
throughout the whole brigade, and there
is not enough grub in our camp to feed
a mouse. / have tried the poor people
who live in the vicinity, and they tell me,
to use the language OF one Of them, that
they have spored and spored until they
can't spore another bite. For these rea-
sons you will have to excuse me until
about day after tomorrow, as think we
will get some provisions by that time or
go where the people can spore us
something"
Now l had seen these brave fellows
start to battle as empty as race horses
drawn for long run, and come back and
go to play as blithely as possible, and
yet there was not grub enough in the
camp to feed mousse" and there was no
certainty of any for many hours.
Iscarcely think that any words | might
utter would improve on these tremendous
facts.
OH if our opponents had ever said:
You pick ten thousand men, and we
will pick like number; you put your
army under your best captains and we
will do the same then we will turn them
into piece of country fifty miles
square, and let them stay until one side
captures the other, which shall settle the
controversy. Do you think zoe would
not have accepted it2 And yet there are
those who complacently tell us that we
were whipped and that it is a shame to
haunt in our faces the reminders of our
defeats blazoned on the colors Of the
Federal regiments.
have my own opinion about that. If
a Northern person can take any comfort
in seeing the name of Manassas"
" fredericksburg. "Shiloh' or Perry
vile" on their flags, / am sure / don't
object to it. M
Out at Bermuda few years since /
met an English regiment, on the colors
of which noticed, amongst other names,
those Of "Bladensburg" and New Or
leans" 1t occurred to me that Mr.. Bull
was perpetuating very insignificant
victory gained, and a dreadful drubbing
got, side by side, and if he liked it, why,
let him have his way about it. The point
/ desire to make is this: We are not par
ticularly looking for anybody's sympa-
thy on the subject of our defeats in the
field. The Abbotts will be dead and
gone after awhile, and then honest his
tory will tell who has a right to be most
proud of their achievements.
Let US get back. At sunset Dearing |
sent me on horseback to our camp, and |
gave the courier who guided me supper |
and enough for breakfast next morning |
and sent the Colenel side of bacon and |
a bag Of bread. He returned it in an
elegant breakfast at Petersburg the next |
week, and was killed not many months
after.
Wood had been to army headquarters
on the other side of the river, and re-
turned after dark. At daylight next
morning we broke up and started up the
river, halting a few moments at the |
house Of the old dame who had abused
me so roundly. By this time she had
learned her mistake, and was anxious to
do something to convince me that she |
was thoroughly serry for her wordy war.
She had few bushels of sweet potatoes
under her bed, and consented to part
with bushel for seventy-6Ye cents in
silver. Next day we were foraging at
another house, where the old lady of the |
mansion observed that if she could only |
get barrel of -four and barrel of
snuff, she wouldn't keer if the war
went on forever. They seemed to take
-four and snuff in about equal portions
in these parts.
We were three days coming up the
river, and three or more getting our
boats out Of water and on the cars.
Then we separated, some in one direc-
ton and some in another, but all with a
love and respect for our commander
and one another, which is rarely encoun-
tered.
The Rafun of II guR Amndpua.