-Billy Bumpus and John Gibbs--had procured from a car about
half a bushel of nice white sugar, put it in a sack-bag, and tied it
securely, they thought, to the axle of a caisson. During the night
either the bag stretched or the string slipped, letting a corner drag on
the ground, which soon wore a hole. When daylight broke, the first thing
that met their eager gaze was an empty bag dangling in the breeze and
visions of a trail of white sugar mingling with the dust miles behind.
Many times afterward, in winter quarters or during apple-dumpling
season, have I heard them lament the loss of that sweetening.

There are various scenes and incidents on the battlefield, in camp, and
on the march which leave an indelible impression. Of these, among the
most vivid to me is that of a column of men and horses at dawn of day,
after having marched throughout the night. The weary animals, with
heads hanging and gaunt sides, put their feet to the ground as softly as
if fearing to arouse their drowsy mates or give themselves a jar. A man
looks some years older than on the preceding day, and his haggard face
as if it had been unwashed for a week. Not yet accustomed to the light,
and thinking his countenance unobserved, as in the darkness, he makes no
effort to assume an expression more cheerful than in keeping with his
solemn feelings, and, when spoken to, his distressful attempt to smile
serves only to emphasize the need of "sore labor's bath." Vanity,
however, seems to prevent each one from seeing in his neighbor's visage
a photograph of his own. But, with an hour of sunlight and a halt for
breakfast with a draught of rare coffee, he stands a new creature. On
the morning after our departure from Manassas Junction, having marched
all night, we had a good illustration of this.

About seven o'clock we came to a Federal wagon which had upset over a
bank and was lying, bottom upward, in a ditch below the road. Around it
were boxes and packages of food, desiccated vegetables red with tomatoes
and yellow with pumpkin. Here a timely halt was called. Across the
ditch, near where we went into park, the infantry who had preceded us
had carried from the overturned wagon a barrel of molasses with the head
knocked out. Surging around it was a swarm of men with canteens, tin
cups, and frying-pans--anything that would hold molasses. As each vessel
was filled by a dip into the barrel it was held aloft, to prevent its
being knocked from the owner's gras