A blessed hope of peace permeated the throng,
To them it cooed like a dove with its siren song,
But it proved a delusion and a snare
To get them in trouble of which they were not aware.
They innocently cried peace when there was no peace,
Their unfortunate meeting was imprudent at least;
The meeting culminated in a tragic end
And made them wiser and perhaps better men.
CHAPTER V.
BILL OF FARE IN THE SOUTHERN ARMY.
Soldiers’ Rations.—Soldiers in the Southern army did not live on the fat of the land fareing sumptuously every day. They often had to live on a stinted allowance, and articles of food placed before them that would not have been accepted with thanks at home. A day’s allowance to a soldier consisted of a small cake of wheat or corn bread, or six hard tacks, a small piece of beef or pickled pork, sometimes a little rice or small amount of beans or peas. A hearty man that gave way to his appetite often ate an entire day’s rations at one meal and then was hungry the balance of the day. The judicious soldier though divided his allowance into three parts and fared better by adhering strictly to the custom of eating three times a day.