evail to get bread and determined on a bluff. The next mill had
soldiers claiming all the wheat, but some of it was in boxes or bins.
He called the miller out, and offered to pay for a couple of bushels.
"It is not mine, said the miller, it belongs to people around here, but
I had better take even Confederate money for it, than nothing at all,
and if you can get a couple of bushels, go ahead." So into the mill our
man went, with his sack, and walked up to a box holding perhaps ten
bushels, on which sat a soldier with his rifle leaning against the box,
with the request: "Let me get at the box, if you please." "You can't
get any of this meal, our men need it all", reaching for his gun. "I'll
show you about that, Sir, my men have had no bread for three days, and
some of this wheat, I'm going to have" and he began shoveling it into
his sack, regardless of protests, until sack was full; then he said,
"that is all I want," turned to the mill hopper dumped it in, as soon
as the same was about empty, putting his sack under the spout. When his
sack was full of whole wheat meal, he tied it, paid the miller and rode
off rejoicing. When he found the command that night, some hogs had been
brought and issued by the commissary, and the two bushels of wheat meal
was a Godsend. Our mess, after breakfast next morning, divided out to
each, eleven big army biscuits apiece, but before dinner time, one
gaunt member of the mess had finished up his lot and was on the lookout
for more.

Recrossing the Tennessee river on the ---- day of December near
Brainbridge, we camped a few days near Tuka, Mississippi, for rest and
a general cleaning up, but many soldiers had no clothing except the
ragged suits they had on, and cleaning involved the washing and drying
of a portion of their garments at a time.

A Confederate private at that time could be pictured in words about
thus: A pair of old shoes or boots, with soles gaping, and tied to the
uppers with strings, no socks, threadbare pants, patched at the knees,
burnt out at the bottom behind, half way to his knees, his back calves
black with smoke, from standing with his back to fires, his shirt
sticking out of holes in rear of his pants, a weather beaten jeans
jacket out at elbows and collar greasy, and an old slouch wool hat
hanging about his face, with a tuft of hair sticking out at the crown.

The officers, in many cases, did not show up much better. In either
case, the man, who had a negro body