December 20, 1863---"If a Rebel's prayers are of any account . . ."

DECEMBER 20, 1863:       

A Union soldier, George Hovey Cadman, writes home about an incident involving a Rebel widow:

. . . During the day an incident occurred which shows how many things hard to bear occur during war time. The top of the hill where we are building the Fort has been used by the inhabitants as a Grave Yard . . . [our work] necessarily disturbs many of the Graves. [A] widow came to beg us to allow her to have her husband’s body removed . . . for she could not bear the thought of a fight taking place over her husband’s grave . . . The Colonel very kindly detailed four men to take the body up . . . I went with the detail and helped rebury the poor fellow and shall [never] forget the gratitude of the poor woman. She said she did not think the Yankees could be so kind. She took down all the names of the squad who helped her that she might pray for them, and promised me she would pray for me and my wife and children. So if a rebel’s prayers are any account I suppose I shall gain something by it. But best of [all] she got us a good dinner. We had fried sausage, roast & boiled Pork, head cheese, peach pies, and sweet milk, and an invitation to go and see her whenever we could get leave . . . as she is 60 years old you need not get jealous [unless] you like.

December 19, 1863---A RESTLESS enemy

DECEMBER 19, 1863:        

Patrolling the Florida coast, the skipper of the U.S.S. RESTLESS, W.R. Browne, writes a report to his superiors specifying the extent of his raids: “within the past 10 days 290 saltworks, 33 covered wagons, 12 flatboats, 2 sloops (five tons each), 6 ox carts, 4000 bushels of salt, 268 buildings at the different saltworks, 529 iron kettles averaging 150 gallons each, 105 iron boilers for boiling brine . . . it is believed that the enemy destroyed as many more to prevent us from doing so.”  

Salt was a precious commodity for the Confederate Army, allowing it to preserve meats.