Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-03-25
4 Postnoned Clrintmns rcanl.

Postponed Christmas Feast.
December, 1s63-the night before
Christmas Cthe time above ali others
when our thoughts were of home)--
found the SeyeIth 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
ncssee, as both armies were then liz
ing off the country, which had long
before been almost denuded of every
edible thing suitable for man or beast.
The veteran cavalrymeu of our rcgi
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
lowauCe from our limited supplies
Under This circumstance it was nee
cssary to postpone oar Christmas dim
ner until the February following. By
this time Longstrcct had retired from
eastern Tennessee to rcjoin 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 recupp-
rate our men and horses, took station
in Tuckaleechee cove. at the base of
tbn Grant Gr,oIy. t,ott, D., t,,.-.. s.,,th al
| Knoxville near the North Carolina
line. Here there was fairly good
grazing for our horses aud moderate
foragng opportunities for the men. II
was here, and In the month Of Fehru-
airy, that we had our Christmas dinner.
Somewhere and somehow ut was
| not for me to know nor to ask our
mess had secured q turkey maybe a
wild one which had been killed IN try
| ing to bite some of our boys, and un-
der the skilful hands of Private Sam
! Wood, of Company |, the most expert
cook in the regiment. this turkey was
| roasted over a fire Of live Goals. which
I 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 coHis. and by the drX
/ trous hands Of Sam was kept gently
! turning around and around-tha the
/ roasting process might proceed prop
ery. out of the sky had dropped Il
/ mess of sweet potatoes, with some
! picked cabbage, much like saucr-
! kraut. which went to complete our
! Christmas dinner. our mess. com
posed Of the colonel. the surgeon. and
! the adjutaut. sat close by To watch
proceedings, to "shoo away" sclf-inyit
! cd guests who had been attracted to
our campfire by the aroma Of the
roasting turkey. and. incidentally. 10
! wipe our watering mouths and fire.
/ quently ask sam If he could not hurry
| matters along u little faster, as we
/ had our appetitcs with MS II seemed
to us hungry souls that never before
did ii take so long to roast ia turkey
As we were nearing the completion
Of the rcpast. It little ranstoru PASSED
over, but soon the sun shoup brightly
showing the tops Of the mountains
tipped with snow. We were all tn %
frame Of mind to enjoy this beautiful
but heetiug scene. when Sam. ON
cook pointing to the snow-rapped
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 n Christmas dinner taste 50
good a. this one Of turkey, sweet 20,
tatoes ana sauer kraut. an topped with
lee cream from the mountains. The
odorc f. Alien. late Captain 18th .. y.
G.. Brcyct Colonel r. s. Vols