and marching all day, two of my men crossed over the Massanutton Mountain and down in the Luray Valley, a distance of ten miles or more, and came back before day with as unique a load of plunder as I ever saw.  While in some of the mountain gorges they came upon a “spring house” a few hundred feet from the little cabin, nestled and hid in one of those impenetrable caves, where the owner, no doubt, thought himself safe from all the outside world.  They had little difficulty in gaining an entrance, but all was dark, so kneeling down and examining the trough they found jars of pure sweet milk, with the rich, yellow cream swimming on top.  This, of course, they could not carry, so they drank their fill.  While searching around for anything else that was portable, they found a lot of butter in a churn, and to their astonishment, a ten-gallon keg of peach brandy.  Now they were in the plight of the man who “when it rained mush had no spoon.”  They had only their canteens, but there was no funnel to pour through.  But the mother of invention, as usual, came to their assistance.  They poured out the milk in the jars, filled two for each, and returned over the mountain with a jar of brandy under each arm.  The next morning I found, to my surprise, hanging to the pole of my tent, my canteen filled with the choicest brandy.  Whiskey sold for $1.00 per drink, so their four jars of brandy added something to their month’s pay.  As a Captain of a company, I could not give leave of absence, nor could I excuse any who left camp against orders or without permission.  So I had it understood that should any of my men wish to undertake a foraging expedition, not to ask my permission, but go; and if they did not get caught by outside guards, I would not report nor punish them, but if they got caught, not to expect any favors or mercy at my hands.  While I never countenanced nor upheld foraging, unless it was done legitimately and the articles paid for, still when a choice piece of mutton or pork, a mess tin of honey, or canteen of brandy was hanging on my rifle pole in the morning, I only did what I enjoined on the men, “say nothing and ask no question.”  And so it was with nearly all the Captains in the army.  And be it said to the credit of the Southern troops, pilfering or thieving was almost an unknown act while camping in our own country.  It was only done in the mountains of Virginia or East Tennessee, where the citizens were generally our enemies, and who were willing to give aid and comfort to the Federals, while to the Southern troops they often denied the smallest favors, and refused to take our money.