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Hard-tack drill 49

I made out to get as far as our division hospital at dark and camped there untill morning.

8th In the morning I was informed that my regt was ordered to Kellys ford so I followed the teams and found the regt at night on the same side of the Rappah. river about two miles from the ford. I saw a squad of about 300 rebel prisoners

9th We lay still all the forenoon. Our division general was riding passed when some man mistook him for the division or brigade quartermaster and hurled out (because we wer all short of bread) Hard Tack. The cry was passed from mouth to mouth for some distence. Orders came from the general to fall under heavy marching orders and let them half an hour all able bodied men wer having what was ever after called the Hard tack drill. We drew rations and packed up and moved back acrost the river in the evening