"...it was already quite dead."

Monday, August 25, 1862, near Thoroughfare Gap

This has been another day of hard marching. Jackson knows how to get every last mile out of us. We are certain that tomorrow will be just like today. We have left our knapsacks behind to ease our loads and be able to march another mile or five. I am not holding out any prospects for ever seeing my knapsack again.

It has been very hot and many of us have cast away blankets and other things to lighten the load. Although I have been tempted to lighten my own load, I will not rid myself of my good blanket. I will never see a blanket this good again. It may be hot now but the cold weather is coming and I will need something to keep me warm. I still remember the long marches through the mountains of Mexico.

Once we halted for the night, the regiment just collapsed off to one side. Little attempt was made to establish a proper camp. For Castles, Hancock and myself, we declined to lie down on the ground as we knew if we did that, we would not get back up again. Instead, we went hunting. This is the time of year when the deer become more active and we hoped to find some venison.

We took our muskets not to hunt dear but to use incase we should run into any Yankees who might be out hunting us greybacks. We dared not shoot the deer lest we alert the enemy as to our presence. We hoped that the enemy was still some miles away but were unsure, We had marched so many miles, for all we knew, we could be near Washington. Castles said he could run down a deer so we wouldn't need our muskets.

Castles saw the deer first. He didn't need to run after it as it was already quite dead from some cause we preferred to remain unknown. It was not so awful that we would leave it there for some other scavengers to feast upon. 

Once back in camp, the deer did not remain intact for long. Even though it was not a large deer, we made it stretch to feed our mess and two others. We feasted on our small portions with some hard crackers and pronounced it plenty. 

Castles, Duncan and Terry retained the skin and made Indian moccasins from the untanned hide. They will not last long but in the absence of real shoes these three soldiers will not last long. Whatever Jackson is planning, he will need every man of us. We must not fail him or our country.