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Ever wonder how the grapevine is started? It's still the same today.:)
" The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History"
Volume 1, Nashville, Tenn., April, 1878
The Guild Bindery Press, Jackson Tennessee (Reprint of original publication, no date)
Page 35, "The Soldiers War Bag"
Old Darb Greer's Joke on Lewis Peach. - "All of those who ever came in contact with the late John Greer, of Fayetteville, Tenn., will remember him as the "Ned Brace" of Tennessee. He and Lewis Peach belonged to the same mess in the Eighth Tennessee Confederate Infantry. Peach was under medium size, but Darb said that he could hold his own at eating with any man in the army. He had often twitted him about the habit; but Lewis, unluckily, one day, afforded the opportunity of a practical joke, which Darb was not slow to take advantage of. We will let him (Lewis) tell it in his own way, as he did years after in response to an inquiry:"
(Lewis Peach) " We were camped near Tullahoma, after the battle of Murfreesboro, and some one of the mess got to making corn-meal dumplings. When it came my turn to cook, I was ignorant of the process, but thought it was easy enough; so I put on a big camp-kettle of them to cook, but they crumbled to pieces, and were nothing more than a mass of badly scorched mush. I took the kettle of abominations to a log near by, and emptied my dumplings on the ground. Old Darb had been down in the other end of camp, playing 'freeze out', but, getting froze out before night, he came on back to the mess. As he passed the log, he spied my dumplings, and asked 'Who did that?' 'Lewis Peach,' was the reply. That was as good as Darb wanted. He instantly yelled out, 'I told you all Lewis Peach was the biggest eater in the army; come here and I'll prove it to you.' He was as solemn and earnest as an owl, and soon had a crowd of curious and astonished spectators around him, to whom he related a circumstantial account of the whole proceeding. Said he, ' I saw at dinner that he would have to throw up this mess or go to the grave-yard , and I watched him. He come right here and set right down on this log, and tossed it up.' His imitation of the act, the location and the suspicious looking character of the mess, which had run down the slant for several yards, were convincing. Not a man doubted the truth of his story, but gazed, wondered and believed; nay more, went off and reported the wonder in the most solemn manner. In an hour there were five hundred men crowding the spot, and tip-toeing, to get a look. Darb remained on the field to explain things and swear, in the most positive manner, that he wouldn't have believed anything human could have held that much if he hadn't a seen it with his own eyes. I knew it was of no use to try to explain the matter as long as long as Darb was present. In fact,, I was badly plagued at the turn of events, and crawled off into my bunk, and stayed there the rest of the evening. I thought the matter would blow over by the next morning, but, bless you, the crowd only increased. They came from all over Polk's corps to see the eighth wonder of the world. Darb was at his post to swear to the fact, and when he pointed me out as the little fellow that did it, men looked on me in astonishment, pity and disgust, and I was glad to take refuge in my bunk, where I stayed the rest of the day. The whole of Polk's corps religiously believed Darb's story, and to this day, for aught I know, I was a marked man, and was continually pointed out as 'the little fellow who eat a camp-kettle of corn dumplings.' Darb, poor fellow, died of yellow jack, at Havana, several years ago, and I reckon I'll have to forgive him the best I can."
"We are happy to be able to set Lewis right before Polk's Corps, after fifteen years of misconception and flagrant injustice."
" The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and Early Western History"
Volume 1, Nashville, Tenn., April, 1878
The Guild Bindery Press, Jackson Tennessee (Reprint of original publication, no date)
Page 35, "The Soldiers War Bag"
Old Darb Greer's Joke on Lewis Peach. - "All of those who ever came in contact with the late John Greer, of Fayetteville, Tenn., will remember him as the "Ned Brace" of Tennessee. He and Lewis Peach belonged to the same mess in the Eighth Tennessee Confederate Infantry. Peach was under medium size, but Darb said that he could hold his own at eating with any man in the army. He had often twitted him about the habit; but Lewis, unluckily, one day, afforded the opportunity of a practical joke, which Darb was not slow to take advantage of. We will let him (Lewis) tell it in his own way, as he did years after in response to an inquiry:"
(Lewis Peach) " We were camped near Tullahoma, after the battle of Murfreesboro, and some one of the mess got to making corn-meal dumplings. When it came my turn to cook, I was ignorant of the process, but thought it was easy enough; so I put on a big camp-kettle of them to cook, but they crumbled to pieces, and were nothing more than a mass of badly scorched mush. I took the kettle of abominations to a log near by, and emptied my dumplings on the ground. Old Darb had been down in the other end of camp, playing 'freeze out', but, getting froze out before night, he came on back to the mess. As he passed the log, he spied my dumplings, and asked 'Who did that?' 'Lewis Peach,' was the reply. That was as good as Darb wanted. He instantly yelled out, 'I told you all Lewis Peach was the biggest eater in the army; come here and I'll prove it to you.' He was as solemn and earnest as an owl, and soon had a crowd of curious and astonished spectators around him, to whom he related a circumstantial account of the whole proceeding. Said he, ' I saw at dinner that he would have to throw up this mess or go to the grave-yard , and I watched him. He come right here and set right down on this log, and tossed it up.' His imitation of the act, the location and the suspicious looking character of the mess, which had run down the slant for several yards, were convincing. Not a man doubted the truth of his story, but gazed, wondered and believed; nay more, went off and reported the wonder in the most solemn manner. In an hour there were five hundred men crowding the spot, and tip-toeing, to get a look. Darb remained on the field to explain things and swear, in the most positive manner, that he wouldn't have believed anything human could have held that much if he hadn't a seen it with his own eyes. I knew it was of no use to try to explain the matter as long as long as Darb was present. In fact,, I was badly plagued at the turn of events, and crawled off into my bunk, and stayed there the rest of the evening. I thought the matter would blow over by the next morning, but, bless you, the crowd only increased. They came from all over Polk's corps to see the eighth wonder of the world. Darb was at his post to swear to the fact, and when he pointed me out as the little fellow that did it, men looked on me in astonishment, pity and disgust, and I was glad to take refuge in my bunk, where I stayed the rest of the day. The whole of Polk's corps religiously believed Darb's story, and to this day, for aught I know, I was a marked man, and was continually pointed out as 'the little fellow who eat a camp-kettle of corn dumplings.' Darb, poor fellow, died of yellow jack, at Havana, several years ago, and I reckon I'll have to forgive him the best I can."
"We are happy to be able to set Lewis right before Polk's Corps, after fifteen years of misconception and flagrant injustice."