It could, therefore, only be procured from the Sutler, whose
price was two dollars per gallon. Except in relation to this article,
no regular price was fixed for what he sold us. We were first obliged
to hand him the money, and he then gave us such a quantity as he
pleased of the article which we needed; there was on our part no
bargain to be made, but to be supplied even in this manner was, to
those of us who had means of payment, a great convenience. * * *
"Our own people afforded us no relief. O my country! Why were we thus
neglected in this hour of our misery, why was not a little food and
raiment given to the dying martyrs of thy cause?
"Although the supplies which some of us were enabled to procure from
the Sutler were highly conducive to our comfort, yet one most
necessary article neither himself nor any other person could
furnish. This was wood for our daily cooking, to procure a sufficient
quantity of which was to us a source of continual trouble and
anxiety. The Cooks would indeed steal small quantities, and sell them
to us at the hazard of certain punishment if detected; but it was not
in their power to embezzle a sufficient quantity to meet our daily
necessities. As the disgust at swallowing any food which had been
cooked in the Great Copper was universal, each person used every
exertion to procure as much wood as possible, for the private cooking
of his own mess.
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