[4V50 Gary]

From pages 95-6 of the same book:

"While a Red River steamer was discharging its cargo of bacon at the landing, Private I. H. Johnson of the Perote Guards, was sitting upon the bluff overlooking the landing, an interesting spectator of the scene below. The mysterious movements of two Arkansas soldiers mixing with the boat hands at work especially excited his curiosity. He kept his eye on them. Sure enough the first opportunity that opened, when the backs of the boat hands were turned, they grabbed each a side of bacon and ran off. An idea struck Johnson. His camp was not a hundred yards away while that of the Arkansas men was half a mile distant with a skirt of forest intervening. Johnson rushed to his camp, quickly donned a sergeant's coat, picked up a file of men and dashed off around the skirt of woods in his 'flank movement.' He intercepted and arrested the Arkansans, started to camp with prisoners and spoils, but soon halted for a parley. Our pro-tem sergeant expressed deep sympathy to and for his prisoners, saying that he knew rations were short; that he thought it hard, under the circumstances, for the soldiers to be courtmartialed, and probably balled and chained for a month merely for trying to get something to eat; and then intimated that if he could do so with safety to himself he would turn them loose, but that he would be obliged to carry the bacon to camp and make his report. The Arkansans quickly accepted his proposition, and in less than half an hour 'our sergeant' came marching back to camp, each of his men with a side of bacon and cheered by the whole company. I can't say whether or not our 'sergeant' ever reported this haul to headquarters, but it has always been our private opinion that Lee's veterans never got any of that meat."