The march continued all day, and the weather was overcast with intermittent rain. The bad roads and miserable weather made the day an unpleasant memory for all. Many of the wagons and artillery, along with their horses and mules, were mired down in the muck. They had to be pulled and lifted out by hand.
At last darkness came and the march halted. Coffee, hard bread, and salt pork were the meal that night. The soldiers cut the pork into thin slices and pushed it onto the end of a sharpened stick. They then toasted it over their campfires. In the past this meal was nearly unpalatable. But after marching all day, it was eaten with great enthusiasm.
The ground was thoroughly saturated with water. The men broke little boughs off the trees and laid them on the ground. These were covered by rubber and wool blankets. Despite this less than ideal bed, the exhausted soldiers fell asleep quickly and slept soundly through the night.
