Page:Historical and biographical sketches.djvu/376

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372
HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

the water cool and pleasant, but rather muddy. We stopped again at Mechanicsburg, where the people told us of some of the rebel operations in that vicinity. On approaching Carlisle we saw the ruins of the barracks which had been destroyed, and in that very pleasant looking town we waited over an hour. While sitting here in the cars, I saw a man pass by with a large piece of bread and butter in his hand, in a few minutes another came along, so concluding they must have come from somewhere, and that considering the provender, that was just the place to suit me, I quickly made my way from the cars, and traced the provision carriers back two or three squares to a tavern, in the kitchen of which an old lady was cutting and spreading bread as fast as she could handle the knife, and the room was full of soldiers waiting their turns. They crowded around her so closely that she could scarcely move, and she was scolding away with all her might. I arrived too late to get any meat, but received a large slice of bread and returned to the car. We soon after started off, and I with a number of others got up on top of the cars, and had a fine view of the country as we passed through. About noon we came to Shippensburg which was as far as the railroad at that time had been repaired, the rebels having destroyed it for a great many miles. There we met Owen Eachus, whose company was provost-guard of the town, also Dr. W. A. Peck of Phoenixville, who was Surgeon in charge of the hospital. We stacked arms in the street, and sat down on the door steps of the houses, each one near his own musket. I presently saw a lady come to a window on the opposite side of the street from me and hand out a waiter full of bread and preserves. A few minutes afterward found me watching under the same window, and when the waiter again protruded, I secured my share. It required some exertion, too,