Monday, October 14, 2013

Diary of Alexander G. Downing: Monday, December 22, 1862

The rebels before leaving town burned several houses, altogether some two or three squares, besides burning about one million of our rations, and we are again short of food. On that account the boys are not in the best of humor, and every man has practically a free hand to take anything that he can use or that he may want; and there are no officers out looking for corporals to reduce to the ranks as was done on our way south. Any citizen who in any way had aided the Union army found his property set on fire by the rebels under the pretext that it had caught fire from our burning supplies. We received word that we are to stay here until further orders.

Source: Alexander G. Downing, Edited by Olynthus B., Clark, Downing’s Civil War Diary, p. 88-9

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