“The country we marched over is much in advance of anything we have seen heretofore, and has not been campaigned over;” –Diary of Josiah Marshall Favill.

August 16th. We remained on duty all night, but at 7 A. M. withdrew the picket line and joined the brigade, which was in rear of the division. At 9 A. M. the whole division fell in and marched northerly, following the troops, which, together with the trains, had preceded us; our line of march lay through splendid fields of corn, now quite fit to eat, some of it so remarkably high that I could only just touch the waving plumes with the point of my drawn sword, on horseback. It afforded a grand feast for the men, who were not slow to fill up their haversacks; it is easily roasted by throwing it into burning embers, with the covering intact; this partially steams it, and gives a delicious flavor; marched until evening, making only two short halts for rest, and went into bivouac in a beautiful spot near a large house, which Sumner occupied as headquarters. The country we marched over is much in advance of anything we have seen heretofore, and has not been campaigned over; consequently, our larder contains many delicacies, and within an hour after we arrived, en bivouac, the mess was bountifully served with fricasse chicken, roasted corn, etc.; all are in buoyant spirits at the prospect of active service again. During the night Franklin’s corps passed by.