he only had some hot water he was sure it
would relieve him. A pitcher of steaming hot water was immediately sent
in. Then it was found that the strong liquor nauseated him, and one of
the other scamps suggested that perhaps a lemon would relieve that, and
a nice lemon was instantly produced. They had plenty of sugar
themselves, and so from good Mother Harris's benevolent provision for
the colic these rascals deliberately brewed a pitcher full of excellent
hot whiskey punch. They had to invent a number of additional lies to
keep her out of the room, but they were equal to it. She sent her
orderlies in, one after the other, to inquire how the patient was
progressing, and the boys secured a proper message back by letting them
in for a swig. I hope the good old lady never discovered the fraud. I am
sure she would not have believed anybody who might have undertaken to
enlighten her, for her confidence in her "boys in blue" was so
unbounded.

Almost every tour of picket duty revealed some new incident. Our pickets
were now posted in full view of those of the enemy, and the river was so
narrow that conversation between the pickets could be carried on without
difficulty. Peremptory orders were issued forbidding our pickets from
replying, or in any manner communicating with them, but it required the
greatest care and vigilance on the part of all the officers of the
picket to enforce this order. One of their sentries would hail one of
ours with some friendly remark, and it was difficult to suppress the
desire to reply. If a reply was not forthcoming, a nagging ejaculation,
calculated to provoke, would follow, such as, "What's the matter, Yank,
are ye deaf?" "Maybe ye are afeared o' those d----d officers." "We 'uns
don't give a d---- for our officers," and so volley after volley would
follow, whilst poor Yank had to continue silently walking his beat.
Sometimes the "Johnny" would wind up with a blast of oaths at his silent
auditor. Frequently our men would reply if they thought no officer was
near to hear; they seemed to feel that it was only decent to be
courteous to them. Strange as it may seem, there was a strong
disposition to fraternize whenever opportunity offered on the part of
the men of both sides. This was manifested daily on this picket-line,
not only in talk across the river, but in communication by means of
miniature boats. Our men were generally short of tobacco, and the
Johnnies had an abundance of this article of