10 15 1862 [Wednesday]
“At twelve o’clock we started for Big Hill about twenty miles distant which we reached at one o’clock Wednesday. At sundown Wednesday we received 1/2 rations for two days for the purpose of crossing the mountains, and knew we had trouble again, as we had nothing to cook in as we had not caught up with our wagons, so we had to do the best we could under the circumstances. John Stamper pitched out and found a big oven and lid that had been thrown out of a wagon at the foot of Big Hill. We were rich now. We stayed there all night and all day Thursday.” (37)
10 16 1862 [Thursday]
The 43rd Tenn. “arrived Big Ridge, no county given, after travelling a distance of 28 miles, Notation: Marched all night”. (59)
“We began to see that we would run out of something to eat, and as we did not like the idea of starving, I made a ‘gritter’ out of an old tin plate. John went and got some corn and now we went to grinding. We soon had plenty of meal and also plenty of good cornbread. A little before night I supposed we would not move, so I went to gritting more meal. About the time I had enough for supper the orders came to move and there I was with my meal and what could I do? Nothing but to leave it. I told the boys I thought the General had treated me badly bit it would not do to make a fuss about it. After dark we started for another night’s march. We traveled about three miles and struck Big Hill. Here we had to stay two or three hours [waiting] on a train of wagons.” (37)
“To food we had to eat burnt pumkin rosted on a log heap and porched corn and a little beaf or pore cow meat” (Dennis TCWQ)
10 18 1862 [Saturday]
At twelve o’clock we took up the line of march, traveling eighteen miles, passing through London, Kentucky. We struck camp six miles from London at ten o’clock. Then our butchers had to kill beeves which took till nearly midnight. We were all hungry so I boiled me a piece of beef. After eating my bite I lay down and slept till morning. (37)
Wiley Wood, Co. G, 6th Tennessee who had been wounded at the Battle of Perryville humorously noted: “Yesterday we traveled hard, passed through London in the evening . . . we traveled till late in the night, and got no rations till after two o’clock, and we have to leave this morning before we got it cooked. Some of the boys are complaining of their beef kicking them in their haversacks, and want to stop just long enough to kill it.” (175. p.p. 176/7)
10 19 1862 [Sunday]
We started out again at nine o’clock and the road being rough we did not travel fast. At sunset we camped, made our fires, and as good luck would have it I found a fine turnip patch, which I was bold enought to attack. We got enough supper which we cooked and ate, talking all the time about what a good supper we had. After we lay down and took a good night’s rest. (37)
10 20 1862 [Monday]
At two o’clock that night some provisions came to the Regiment which was a welcome visitor. At seven o’clock we started for Cumberland Ford, seventeen miles distant, but the road being full of wagons we did not go but about twelve miles and then took camp on Cumberland River. There we drew a bit of cooked provisions and ate them. Then we moved up the river a full hundred yards where we camped till morning. At sundown we received about 1/4 rations which did not satisfy the boys but made them complain. But we cracked walnuts and parched corn till we made a pretty fair supper. Meanwhile Bill Stamper brought in a [omission] that some of the boys had killed, which made our mess a good meal, though Talley was sick and could not enjoy this good supper. (37) :
10 21 1862 [Tuesday]
At two o’clock we were ordered to march to Cumberland Ford which we did an hour in the night. We camped one mile this side on Yellow Creek. There we drew some Flour and meat, and as John had found a skillet, and lid the day before, we were rich, so I pitched in and made some of the best batter cakes that you ever heard of. We slept well that night. (37)
Many of the men are worn out with almost constant marching, by day and by night, pinched a great portion of the time by hunger and thirst, and having to subsist a good portion of the time on parched corn, pumpkins, etc., and drinking frequently water from holes. How different the feelings of officers and men of these armies now compared with what they were upon their entrance into Kentucky two months since! It is unnedessary for me to say here that the expedition of the confederate forces into Kentucky, has resulted in miserable failure.” - Columbia Sun. [Rebelion Record, V6, Diary, p. 7]
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And this, from William E. Sloan's Diary of the Great War for Southern Independence, Private, Co. C, 3rd Vol. Inf. & Co. D, 5th Tenn. Cav., Cleveland, Tenn. Public Library
October 5, 1862 "We have orders to cook three days rations and hold ourselves in readiness to march. I was on picket duty last night in a forest of large trees, and one of my comrades was on the same post with me. We were on foot, having left our horses at the camp, and about midnight we heard some animal walking through the dry leaves some distance from us. It came directly toward us, and when it got near enough we could see by the moon-light that it was a very large fat opossum. We dared not shoot at him because it would raise an alarm in camp, so we held still until he came close enough to discover us, and then we made chase and captured him before he could get up a tree. We brought him to camp this morning and dressed and cooked him in regulation style, first boiling, then baking to a nice brown; after which we had as fine a 'possum' dinner as ever a southern n.....r grinned over. It was so big that it furnished dinner for a large part of the company. Some of the boys ate of the soup and pronounced it delicious, but it was to rich that it made some of them sick. There is no getting around the fact that a good fat 'possum' is one of the dainiest [sic] of dishes."