The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-03-30
A Postponed Christma. Feast.

A Postponed Christmas Feast.
December, 1S63-the night before
Christmas (the time above all others
when our thoughts were Of home)-
found the Seventh Ohio cavalry on out
post duty, closely observing the vet
eran army of General Longstreet, then
in upper east Tennessee.
The Christmas feast was by no
means ready for either the Confed-
crate or Union troops in east Ten
nessee, as both armies were then liv-
ing of the country, which had long
before been almost denuded Of every
edible thing suitable for man or beast.
The veteran cavalrymen of our regi-
ment were sharing their exceedingly
light rations with their horses-five
nubbins Of corn per day for each man
and his horse being the generous al
lowance from our limited supplies.
Under this circumstance 1t was nee
essary 10 postpone our Christmas din
ner until the February following. By
this time Longstreet had retired from
eastern Tennessee to rejoin General
Lees army, preparatory to the cam
paign In Virginia against General
Grant.
In February we found ourselves re-
lieved from duty in close proximity
to the enemy, and in order to recupe-
rate our men and horses, took station
In Tuckaleechee cove, at the base of
the Great Smoky mountains, south of
Knoxville and near the North Carolina
line. Here there was fairly good
grazing for our horses and moderate
foraging opportunities for the men. 1t
was here, and in the month of Febru-
airy, that we had our Christmas dinner.
Somewhere and somehow ut was
not for me TO know nor to ask our
mess had secured turkey-maybe q
wild one which had been killed in try
ing to bite some of our boys, and un-
der the skillful hands of Private Sam
Wood, of Company 1, the most expert
cook in the regiment, this turkey was
roasted over a fire Of live Goals, which
Sam, with the utmost care, had pre-
pared and arranged.
The turkey was suspended from a
rigging of poles at the proper dis
lance from the Goals. and by the dex-
trous hands of Sam was kept gently
turning around and around-that the
roasting process might proceed prop
erly. Out Of the sky had dropped a
mess Of sweet potatoes, with some
picked cabbage, much like sauer-
kraut, which went to complete our
Christmas dinner. Our mess, COM
posed of the colonel, the surgeon, and
the adJutant, sat close by to watch
proceedings u 'shoo away" self-invit-
cd guests who had been attracted to
our campfire by the aroma Of the
roasting turkey, and, incidentally, to
wipe our watering mouths and fire.
quently ask Sam If he could not hurry
matters along a little faster, as we
had our appetites with us. 1t seemed
to US hungry souls that never before
did it take so long to roast a turkey.
AS we were nearing the completion
of the repast, little rainstorm passed
over, but soon the sun shone brightly,
showing the tops Of the mountains
tipped with snow. We were all in a
frame Of mind to enjoy this beautiful
but feeting scene, when Sam, our
cook, pointing to the snow-capped
mountains, said: Gentlemen, there
is ice cream for dessert; help your
selves"
AS / look back now through the
vista Of forty years, never before nor
since did a Christmas dinner taste so
good as this one Of turkey, sweet DO
tatoes and sauer kraut al topped with
ice cream from the mountains.-The-
odore F. Allen, late Captain It'll o. v.
c., Brevet Colonel U. 8. Vols