The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-12-25
A CHRISTMAS DINNER.
SHOWING THE STRAITS AND
DEVICES OF WAR TIMES.

OE 1CES VI ~ 4 II I'M &c.
4 Contrast Between The Regular Ch::s
mas STYLE and the Wartime Make
shifts.
Home and Farm.
, In the Old Dominion, as we'll as il
the Mother Country" Christmas La
always been the season devoted L
feasting and good cheer. Since ''tht
good old colony times" plum pudding:
and mince pies have made the frosty
December air fragrant with theil
spicy odors but, though the knightly
sirloin of beef is ever welcome on the
board, yet the crowning honors in Vir-
ginia are allotted to the lordly turkey
roasted to gold brown, and redolent
of the onions and sage literally mixed
in the stuting.
For weeks before, his majesty has
been fed, morning, noon and night, to
bring him to proper state of fatness,
| and OF all that summer has allowed us
to store away for winter, the best is
chosen to add TO the Christmas dinner,
while the winter hog-killing furnishes
dish Of sausage, and often the chimes
and spareribs figure on this occasion,
as, If overlooked by the ''white folks"
they are warmly appreciated by the
expectant group that swarm in
the Kitchen Last Of all, mighty
bowl of toaming egg-nog finishes the
repast. and. if used IN moderation,
assists the overburdened stomach to
digest its contents.
With the memories Of sucl dinners,
repeated year after year, can you Won
der that l keenlv Geit Lne hardship of
the experience 1 am going to relate.
belonged to the Fourth Virginls
Cavalry, under Gen. Wickham's com.
mand, station in the Valley of Vir-
pinia. in the winter of 1864, though
really it was scarcely stationary
condition, as we were constantly sent
out on the march.
At2 o'clock on Christmas morning
we received orders to mount and march
rapidly eastward to intercept party
of raiders, reported to be advancing
up the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge
section of the couatry. We were not
allowed time either to eat or to pack
up any food to carry with US, but were
com!orted by the assurance that We
would tind ratiors awaiting US al. Ivy
Depot, more than thirty miles distant.
As mounted my horse in the dim,
cold starlight, many thought passed
through my mind of the days gone by,
when / thought it a great hardship to
be awakened so early on the night of
Christmas Eve ty the impatient little
ones, rushing long before daylight to
examine the hanging stockings, while
outside the explosion of the Christmas
toyr.be firing OF the Christmas gun
and the noisy cries of Christmas gift
Christmas gitt!" heralded the approach
of Christmas morning long before the
first ROSY tirge Of dawn. But then, l
could turn over in my luxurious
feather-Ded and take anoth"r nap
after the hubbub ceased, secure that
on rising I would take my place at 4
breakfast table loaded with all the
good things one could desire, while at
each plate The grown tolks' were
sure to find their Christmas gifts.
How different now! l even envled
the infantry fellows, snug in winter
quarters and rejoicing in Christmas
boxes from home, while the cavalry
men we left in camp were sure to for
age around and add something like
good cheer to the scanty rations which,
then, were all our bankrupt govern
ment could bestow On we rode, how.
ever. through the cold and the dark,
making up our minds to bear 1t bravely
and make no complaint. Some of the
bows were Jolly enough to brighten the
passing hours with singing, and the
wild, romantic cliffs of Rock Fish Sap
re-echoed with "Lorena" and when
This Cruel War is Over"
When morning broke we halted,
and ratiops of corn were distributed
to our horses, but nothing could be
given to the poor, hungry men, as
there was no time to stop to forage in
the neighborhood; and an appeal to
the generosity Of the residents, who
would doubtless have given US what
they could, though after nearly tour
wears of war the homesteads of Vlr-
ginia could no longer spare much to
the soldier for lighting her battles.
Still, bat little cersmony was OBJ
served when we had time, and the
benvards and cornfelds were made to
pav tribute to our needs, whether the
owners were willing or not. l think,
however, they were generally willing
We bore patiently enough the ab-
sence Of any breakfast, for such had
been our luck many time before;
though to the regular old Eirginian, 3
good breakfast on Christmas day seems
as much one of the ipalienaole rights
of man as a good dinner, neither Of
which rights We could hope to enforce
on that day.
At noon, we halted again to feed our
weary horses, and by this time the
cravings Of hunger were not to be re-
Sisted, so We parched a portion Of the
horses corn and satisfied ourselves as
well as We could in that way.
Such was my Christmas dinner that
wear, but had the most delicious feast
that I ever tasted.
When we had reached our place OF
destination, we learned that the raidl':g
party had returned, SO that our long,
forced ride was unnecessary after a!l.
Neither were the rations on hand. so
parties of US were sent out on detail TO
forage for maa AID beast;-zzss- -e7'<+ess=esssee7
corn had given out.
| went TO neighboring farm house
and received kindly response to my
REQUEST for corn, after which l put in
nv own claim. The farmers wife
handed me a cold hogs head, as yet
! nf