Here it is the middle of November, and the weather is most
delightful. No frosts, but a warm, mellow atmosphere like our Indian summer in
October. It is beautiful, indeed; I am charmed with it. While our farmers in
New England are putting up and feeding their cattle in barns, the cattle here
are luxuriating in white clover, young, sweet and tender enough to suit the most
fastidious taste of any of the cattle on a thousand hills. The farmers about
here are harvesting their crops of corn and sweet potatoes, some of which are
very fine. Some of the boys brought in some egg plants which grow about here. I
never saw any before, but am told they are very good, when properly cooked. I
am not disposed to doubt it, never having eaten any of them, but I cannot
believe they would make good egg nog.
We begin to see a little something of the peculiar
institution, — slavery. There are a great many negroes strolling around the camps,
most of them runaways, and as Maryland is supposed to be a loyal state, we have
no right to take sides and afford them protection. But we have adopted a kind of
English neutrality, although not giving them much protection, we give them
whatever information they desire. The masters and hunters are frequently here,
looking up their hoys, as they call them, and we generally manage to put them
on the wrong track and then run the boys into other camps, and they run them
into the woods.
Our regiment was yesterday inspected and reviewed by Brig.
Gen. John G. Foster. We
put in our best work, and tried to make the best appearance we could. The general
seems to be a man who understands his business. At a single glance he takes a
man and his equipments all in; looks at his rifle, passes it back and goes for the
next one. He complimented Col. Upton on the good drill and appearance of his
regiment, and flattered his vanity a little by telling him that with a little
more practice his regiment would be as near regulars as it would be possible to
bring a volunteer regiment.
SOURCE: David L. Day, My Diary of Rambles with the
25th Mass. Volunteer Infantry, p. 11-2
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