The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-07-28
THE BOYS IN GRAY.
WHAT CoNFEDERATEs HAD TO EAT
WHILE IN VIRGINIA.
Cooking Beef in Camp Kettle-An
Ovcr-folitc Sollicr-Brcad Pudding.
The Louisiana Tigers at Malvern Hill,
y Yankees Testament.

The Louisiana Tigers at Malvern HILL
y Yankees Testament.
'Thar was er heap O difference between
the looks % Johnston's army and Lees said
fllnkett, as he proceeded to fill hispipe with
t"baccot that Brown had Clipped from plug
III thar was any gray crbout Lees army,
never seed 1t, and er man that didn't have er
blue Yankee overcoat and er Yankee can
teen, and all these sort o things, was looked
upon as Il fresh fellow from home and as
mprc'n apt to be cr conscript
''Johnston's army warnt that way. They
Didn't have much clothes, but what they did
have was Confederate, out and out, and I've
Seed rr 200 pound fellow with er coat and
jacket on that looked like they mout er been
made for cr fellow weighing about SO
pounds, and rr little old gray cap that didn't
look like it was norc'n big enough for cr doll
l'tlsiy stuck onto er fellow that had er head
rs llS as cr peck measure. 1t kinder looked
like they took pains to give little follows big
clothes and big fellows short clothes.
''Nou couldn't tell Lees army from the
Yankees, to sce them marching crlong;
but they Wore cr dadburnel sight better
clothes than ever Johnstons army got cr hold
"f--cvcry old soldier knows this-und bl'eve
Lees army was eating flour bread er many
cr time when the other armies were knawing
on old corn dodgers"
'rhry didn't none o. EN- have anything to
Drag on" suggested Brown
NO" resumed plunkctt, sthcy didn't none
;" EN- have much to eat, and what they did
haN" walnt fixed up much The most COM
mtncs, way for er soldier to cook, though,
was To put his beef in er camp kettle and set
it hy the fire and let it simmer crway there
all night, and next morning it would be
cooked all To pieces and Drowned with gravy
at the bottom that was good enough for er
king To eat. But they'd have changes some-
times and its just as I've told you, whenever
one fellow started any new way they'd all
get ut it, and they'd git plum disguised 'fore
they'd stop
81 En"wcd cr fellow chimed in Brown,
",lat WAS sich cr good cook that he liked to
have starved himself to death lettin' fellows
taste his vittcs. But he soon got outcn that
He was one o these l..rc polite kind o fellows
tIrlt would invite you TO eat with him if you
happened up ut his meals, and it was right
into or fellows hand to git cr meal often
another fellows lntons, till pretty soon it
got S" that jiSt before he'd AK you to havo
some he'd turn crround, so as you'd be sure
I" SO" him, and spit i'll his eating three or
-four times, and cr fellow had to be mighty
i''''s' ) W. N'ab uHy W ~ III vi lIlitt l1cu
cm that it was jlst er habit he'd got into, and
ther" was cr lots o EN- that took it up"
'''lhai'i so" resumed Plunkctt, "wlatcvcr
ono got to don', there were others that would
follow. | never will forget the dish what
t"y called bread pudding 1t was cr kind
% softrning of cold bread and putting
m"las'cs into it and then baking er crust on
I" ii; and then there was er kind o weed
that gr"Wcd wild in Virginia that they gath
cred ln'l liIcd for veyctabcs-I forget tho
name Z" it now, but it was erbout as good US
poke salad
"MrClcllan's army had better eatin' than
most {" folks Mt home,' said Brown
You are right" agreed Plunkett, "and
our boys got or heap % it, too. But thar was
mighty hard times erround thar then, and er
fellow couldn't enjoy nothin' what he got
That thrkalonily country was er mighty
bad place, and tho weather was hot and tho
fields and woods got dusty from so much
tramI,n' "n EN-; but when it did rain thar
was mud to pay for it, If live er thousand
year, I'll never forget tho last day o tho
ses"n days fight crround Richmond Tho
last fight was at night, or late in the after
noon and night. 1t was Malvern Hill, and
the fight went on till erbout 10 ut night, and
the rain was falling all the time. That was
cr bad place, and you never seed the light
ming come npwnys nigh lighting up tho
clouds like the Yankee clnnons that were on
toi, a that hill, and time after time, and
regiment after regiment OF our boys tried to
get To the top q the hill and stop 'em; but
t!nl- couldn't and thar was many good sol
dior that gave up his life that night and died
i'll darkness, with the rain falling down in his
face, that there has never been cr word said
crbput in books, and never will be.
What was called the Louisiana Tigers
went closer to the guns on Malvern Hill than
any others, and they came mighty nigh be-
in.s all killed there Maj, Wheat, the officer
what led en-, went nearer to the guns than
any other man, and was shot down, and as
H. fell he hocred out to 'em, Don't let em
get me, boys. and then there was a rush
made to secure the body and there was II
land To hand fight till two men caught the
dead officer by the legs and run down tho
| n!l with him. The next battle finished em
up and they We're dsbanded, only erbout
twelve or thirteen of them being left, and l
liavn never heard of them since
l'nt thar lialut no use in my talking
crhout things crway off yander in Virginia,
wien can look right out the window here
and SIC tlic ground where there was jist rs
| hard lighting done as there was anywhere
was over in the field there today, and as
'ile llni,' would go crlong and turn up the
art could find an old piece of Shcrlnan's
/ s!!oll, every now and then. 1t looks like
"" nrvcr will get the balls outcn the ground,
| for every time you plow it and jist wait till
cr shower Of rain comes and sortcr settle it
down. tn" dirt will wash often the balls and
leave en- where you can see EN- This is
The way ii's been ever since the war, and it
look, to mo like there has been more balls
.,,l,, ,,i,,.,.s of shell ,,irk.I nm ofFau +L,+
ground than it would take to run er good
sl<"'i ":tlt, and they didn't fight there but one
| day either.
II used to save little things that Id find,
bn Eve give em all erway to strangers that
would tell me they wanted mcmentoes, but
l':r got II little book there on the table that
/ Is" kept and Fin always going to keep till
somebody claims it what has er right to it."
The old man stopped talking Brown
reached oyer to little table in the corner
and drew forth II little soiled Testament
There was nothing that could be seen to
i'ie!tiiy the owner owing to its soicd con-
dit!pu. There was II note sheet of paper
which had been pasted to the inside back OF
] IL" book, nal there We're three or four verses
am! II naliic on it, but here is all that can be
F, rad:
IL ii!i> ttle book there's 4 promise that's prec-
And bnt for that promise my poor heart would
/ break;
-.is" it to You and iii,.sv You will keepit.
/ .l! read 1t and heed it, for dear mothers sake.
''l got that little book over on the Yankee
! line rIIe day after the fight, and I'm pretty
certain that it belonged to er young Indiana
/ il !!ow what was killed and buried over there
1t was muddy ond wet when l got it, and
brought it home and dried it, and I'm going
To- keep it.H-'Sarse' ii. in Atlanta Collstitu-
ton.
y 'Spotter" that should be stamped out
The slnallpoN.-Boston Commercial.
ColIcctor nf Hal.