Charles Johnson recalled a surreal scene in these make-shift camps:
After staying in the barracks about two months I remember being detailed for guard duty one beautiful Sabbath day. Guard duty necessitated a soldier's absence from his quarters for twenty-four hours, though he would actually be on his beat with musket in hand but one-third of the time, two hours out of every six. The time referred to, my two hours for duty, came just before daylight Monday morning.
Looking through the fence about sunrise, where a regiment was encamped just outside, several groups were seen eating breakfast, and these were not composed wholly of men, but were made up of women, girls and children as well. Looking closer, it was seen that they were eating fried chicken, turkey, cake, pie, freshly-baked bread and good butter, biscuit and doughnuts. By this time the man on the next beat had joined me, and the effect the scene had upon the two soldiers within the enclosure can never be appreciated by the reader who has not had a similar experience. The wives, sisters and children of these more fortunate soldiers had evidently come to spend a season with their friends, and had brought such eatables as they knew would be appreciated, for the time had thus literally transferred home-life to camp.
