"I Will Know It By Its Odor"

Saturday, May 17, 1862, Summit Station, Virginia

Ever since we moved to this place, we have had to be more wary. The Yankees are on the other side of the Rappahannock. This means they are only five or six miles from here. They send out mounted patrols to feel our lines. I am sure that we do the same. A patrol from the Thirteenth was captured. It is not as it was in Beaufort where we were somewhat protected by the numerous salt marshes, making it difficult for the Yankees to approach us. Here, the Yankees have many ways to find us. Let them come find the Lancaster Hornets and we shall sting them badly.

Our shelters, our shebangs, require continual efforts of repair to ensure protection from the elements. From time to time the wind comes up and blows our roofs off. And no matter what we do, when it rains, which is a bit more often than in South Carolina, the roofs leak. It is still better than sleeping without any protection at all.

There is a farm stead some two miles away, and another one a bit further away from us and closer to the Yankees. The further one was deserted, the family having relocated themselves to areas not tinged with blue.

We were not supposed to venture that close to them and so far away from us but our curiosity and stomachs outranked our better senses.  There were four of us- Castles, Crenshaw, Holton and myself. It was not quite full dark when we set off. On the way, Crenshaw remarked that if we were found heading towards the enemy by one of our patrols, we would be arrested and shot as deserters. Crenshaw never should have come with us as he had no shoes and slowed us down. He was hopeful of finding a pair.

After the shot as deserters remark, we advanced with a greater degree of care and took to the shadows when possible. Several time we heard noises that caused us to go to ground. We could never tell what the sounds were or where they were coming from. Night will play tricks on sounds.

Like stealthy Romans of old approaching an encampment of Germanic barbarians, we advanced upon the objective. There were no lights visible. Castles and Crenshaw went to the house while Holton and I went to the barn. We both smiled broadly as we heard the cluck of a hen. O chickens, come to us who starve and nourish us to protect you from the Yankees. Instead of the feast we expected to see, there was one solitary hen sitting on a clutch of eggs.

There were several nests in the henhouse but only hers bore eggs. We saw several broken eggs on the floor and many feathers plus some blood. Had someone beat us to the banquet? Were they Yankees? If so, were they far away by now or still hard by? How much longer dare we stay?

Not wishing to tarry any longer, I reached underneath the hen to get her eggs. She then attacked me, not caring  that I was many times her size. Her defense was worthy of a colonelcy but the eggs were given up. My hand was bloody but the idea of a tin plate of eggs soothed the pain. At that point, Holton directed my attention to my feet where there laid a Yankee haversack and tin cup. There was blood on it and we assumed that it was effused courtesy of a hen in defense of her property. Quickly, I stuffed the eggs in my new-found prize and we left the hen alone to replenish her nest for future raids.

At the same time we left the henhouse, Castles and Crenshaw were leaving the house. Crenshaw was sporting a new pair of boots as the sole reward for raiding the house. Everything else of value was gone. I tried to tell Crenshaw that the boots were fit only for riding and as that he was in the infantry, his being shod in that manner would do him little good but he would hear none of it.

Two days later, his poor feet declared their liberation from their leather prison. He swapped his boots to a mounted officer for his shoes and both were happy.

About that haversack. When we returned to camp, I inspected the contents hoping to find some nourishment of value abandoned by its previous owner. Alas, several of the eggs we gathered had been smashed and mixed with some previously smashed eggs. Everything smelled to beyond Heaven. Three eggs were saved and made some small repast when shared between the four of us plus Corporal Flynn who did not ask how we obtained them. There was a fine housewife in the haversack but no matter how hard I cleaned, it still stank. I threw the entire thing away, haversack and all, saving only the tin cup.

The next morning, I noticed the haversack had disappeared. No matter. I will know it by its odor.