This is the way the buildings are arranged by the country farmers in this part of the State. The negroes all occupy log-houses. Some of the owners have nothing better, and inhabit the same; but most of them have frame houses, and many of these are large and elegant. The negro women have charge of all the children, both white and black, and the cooking for all is done in the out-houses. We were well entertained at this place. The woman of the house was apparently about seventy-five years of age, and was very intelligent and sociable. Her husband owns a large farm, and some fourteen or fifteen negroes. They raise hemp, keep sheep, spin and weave, as our folks did at home fifty years ago. They have suffered from the raids of the enemy, principally in the loss of horses, not having enough left to cultivate their farms. This is indeed a serious loss to them.
After the lapse of half an hour, our breakfast was brought to us. We had hot biscuit, fried bacon, johnny-cake, butter and milk. We bought five pounds of butter at this place for twenty-five cents a pound, and four dozen of eggs, for which we paid twenty-five cents per dozen. We went beyond here one mile, and procured three dozen eggs more. From here we started on our return to camp. Stopped at a house, and finding the owner absent on an expedition to camp, I prevailed on the negroes to bake us some cake. Here we stopped three-quarters of an hour, during which time the women cooked enough to fill my haversack, for which they charged me twenty-five cents. Leaving here, we called at the place we first stopped at in the morning, and found our bread awaiting us--one large johnny-cake, and one loaf of white bread. This finished our load, and at one, P.M., we arrived in camp, prepared to live again.
We had a most beautiful camp at this place. It was situated in a grove, at a spot where we had every convenience necessary in the shape of wood and water, with plenty of grass to roll and tumble upon. The trees in this grove were perhaps forty feet apart from one another on an average. These consisted of maple, cherry, black walnut, and the common shell-bark, and many of them were of large size. The ground underneath was swept clean, and all brush, chips, &c., removed.