Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Diary of 2nd Lieutenant George G. Smith: October 4, 1864

Relieved at daylight. First Louisiana, two pieces of artillery, and a squadron of cavalry, took the Woodville road. Halted for dinner at a plantation owned by a Dr. Watkins. There were some pigs running at large about the place. As soon as the order, “break ranks” was given, it was as good as a circus to see the boys go for the pigs. Each pig would have four or five soldiers after him. One soldier would get up close enough to the pig to get his hands on him, when the animal would slip away, and the soldier would go down and those behind go over him and the chase continue, but the pigs would be tired out in a short time and disappear. The Doctor and his family had run away. We marched about ten miles that day and encamped for the night.

SOURCE: Abstracted from George G. Smith, Leaves from a Soldier's Diary, p. 130-1

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