The regiment bivouacked on shore that night and the men all seem better for it this morning. As the river is much wider, we made about twenty miles today, which we considered good running. Passed several very fine plantations. Stopped at one last night, and the darkies told us where there was a lot of meat and sugar about two miles from the river, hid in the woods. Although it was raining I took about a hundred men, and guided by the darkies found, as they had said, lots of nice hams and shoulders. We helped ourselves to all we could and destroyed the rest. When we returned we passed the owner's house, and I never heard a man curse as he did at what were in the morning his slaves, but now free men. We took the darkies off with us, as the man would have killed them. There was wailing and gnashing of teeth when we left, and I feel assured that that man joined the rebel army, if he was not already in it, after we left. We passed today one of those scenes I dislike to see. A woman and children standing by the ruins of their burned home; one of the transports had been fired into from this place and the troops stopped and burned the house.
SOURCE: Joseph Stockton, War Diary (1862-5) of Brevet Brigadier General Joseph Stockton, p. 10
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