Jo Benson Goodner was a little more lucky and he got a 

 barrel to carry his in then the boys took a board and 

 carried their water in canteens and poured on the flour 

 they would put on the board and mix up the dough then 

 thej^ would make a cake and cover it up in the ashes 

 or roll a long roll around the rammer of their muskets 

 which is iron and bake it over the fire and roast their 

 beef in almost the same manner. I say we all the time, 

 })ut I Albert and Lieut Knigli boarded at a Widow womans 

 in town and fared very well but we slept with the men 

 all night in the timber, but the fare may seem very 

 rough but the boys did not seem to care for they would 

 sing and laugh play pranks all day. but when our tents 

 came we had more provision and fared well untill we 

 started back on the ninth, for when we are on the march 

 the boys never draw anything but meat (fresh beef) and 

 most always flour sometimes though crackers and at night 

 it takes the cooks of each mess nearly all night to cook 

 their bread for the next days breakfast & dinner. One 

 night (I must tell a joke on some of the boys) as we 

 were on our march from Springfield we encamped on a 

 large creek bottom and there was a good many Missouri 

 possums (as the boys call the hogs here) rimning through 

 the timber and some of the boys were rather hungry they 

 came to me and asked me for my pistol to go and kill 

 some possums I gave it to them making them promise 

 to not let the Col or any one know that I knew that they 

 were killing possum, so presently in they came with some 

 fine skinned hams and ribs but the Genrl had heard the 

 fireing of the pistols as my company was not the only 

 one engaged in the sport and they made rather much 

 noise and he sent the Col to see what was up so the Col 

 came along one of my company's fires and saw one of 

 the boys picldng a bone before the boy saw him so the 

 Col asked him what he was eating he said hog then the 

 Col enquired where he got it he said he bought it from 

 another soldier in another Regt then the Col went into 

 a tent where they had a ham but the boys saw him coming 

 and shoved the ham out under the tent so the Col saw 

 nothing and started around the tent and the boys saw 

 him again and shoved it through into the tent again so the 

 Col had to go without making any discovery We arrived 



