December 3, 1864
At the end of each
month, General Meade sends up his pay-rolls, that is, a large printed sheet
which each officer fills up, stating what the Government owes him, and saying
that he hasn't cheated Uncle Sam, and don't owe him anything and is all right
generally. The pay department keeps this as a receipt and returns your money
for the past month. Lieutenant-Colonel Woodruff gets the General's pay. One
part he sends to Mrs. Meade and the rest he sends to the General, who, the
moment that he gets it, sends violently for Mercier and John and everyone else
to whom he is indebted, and pays them all, in hot haste, as if his last day
were come. He is a thorough old soldier about money and regards greenbacks in a
weak and helpless sort of way. “Once,” said he, “Mrs. Meade said it was my
plain duty to go to market, as other gentlemen did: it would be so satisfactory
and saving. I went the next morning. We had a famous dinner — oysters,
terrapin, and lots of good things — the children were delighted; but, when I
came to look, I found I had spent the week's allowance in one day! I wasn't allowed
to go any more to market.” You would have laughed to see yesterday the crowd of
contrabands that came in with Gregg. Usually, wherever they can, they cut and
run, not showing that devotion to their masters described by the Southrons. It
is sometimes rather remarkable the way they run off. Now in this lot (mostly
women) there was all the way from a newly born baby to an old woman who, they
told me, was over ninety, and who, from her looks, might very likely have been
a hundred and fifty. The young women had their mistresses' things on, if I know
myself. There was one Christian Commission kuss who went whining about and
saying: “Oh! you are free, free! Oh! thank God for it!” “Look here, my friend,”
said I, “if you want to show your Christian feeling, go and tell your
commission to get these people something to eat; they have had nothing since
yesterday.” The pious party took this with an ill grace, but was fain to walk
off “to see our agent,” who, I hope, made some good soup for them.
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 287-8
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