No one knew if or when the soldiers would arrive. Pa Shepard did not know that they had camped less than two miles away on a hillside just south of a place called Kickapoo. This meant that it wouldn't take long for the soldiers to go down the dirt trail through Shepard Hills to the home. That morning, they broke camp and began movement north toward Tinnin.
About mid-morning, a field artillery company began arriving. Commanded by Captain West, the 100 men made their way into the area surrounding the Shepard home. Men were walking with light weapons and packs. A few with injuries rode horses. Pairs of horses pulled four 12-pounder field howitzer cannons. Captain West ordered the 1st lieutenant to have troops find a site for overnight setup.
Captain West brought a squad (12 men with light arms) with him to the front porch of the house. He fired a shot into the air. He banged on the wooden floor with his gunstock and shouted loudly, "Everyone in the house come out right now!" Pa, Ma, and the eight children came out--all were very afraid. Loaded guns were aimed at them by four soldiers. Smoke from the shot fired into the air was still present. James was so scared that he peed in his pants and cried. The family members were asked to get in a line near the middle of the porch.
Eight armed soldiers got onto the porch. The other soldiers stood in the yard and guarded the goings-on with pointed guns. Then five of the eight went inside to search the house. The three soldiers remaining on the porch looked the Shepards over good. The captain asked questions about food, animals, gunpowder, and the like. Pa provided information but did not reveal where things were hidden. He told the soldiers about the barn, smokehouse, chicken house, and stables. He told them about food in the smokehouse.
A very important question Captain West asked was, "Does a Confederate soldier live here?" None did. Pa said, "No." This appeared to help the soldiers adjust to the family. This truthful answer might have saved both lives and property of the Shepard family. The soldiers with raised, loaded guns lowered them. Stress was only slightly reduced.
While Pa was talking and all family members were distracted, one soldier, Private Cason, approached Ellen. She was a good-looking young woman and mature for her 15 years of age. He looked her over with lustful eyes and asked her, "What is your name?"
"Ellen,"she softly replied.
He said, "I will see you later, Ellen," and moved on to other duties. Ellen was frightened, but there wasn't much she could do except worry and think about what he might be up to if he saw her again. She thought about ways to defend herself from unwanted advances.
Pa told the captain that he had voted the Union ticket. That seemed to endear the captain and members of the squad, at least a bit more, toward him. Conversation ensued. Pa, as he later shared with Ma, did learn that this company of soldiers had come from the Battle of Corinth to Jackson and then plundered the town of Clinton. They were now on their way to Vicksburg. There they would join with other soldiers, including those from Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, under Generals Sherman and Grant to engage in major Union war events at Vicksburg.
Those searching the house found a few things and took them. Of particular interest were food and beverage items, such as cornmeal, potatoes, coffee, and whiskey. There was nearly a half barrel of Dexter Whiskey that Pa had brought back from Vicksburg--enough for several soldiers that evening. Pa wasn't much of a drinker but would occasionally take a sip. He supposedly used the bourbon for medicinal purposes. It was used as an anesthetic in some cases such as in removing a tooth that had gone bad. Family members, friends, and slaves might get a drink for pain (two if in considerable pain). Fortunately, the searchers did not take the small collection of letters and other documents that the family was keeping.
One soldier opened the pie safe and found the plate of leftover chicken and the uncut lemon cake left from dinner with the preacher. He and the other soldiers in the house immediately ate the chicken and spit bones on the floor. Of course, the soldiers who got the heart and half-gizzard had no bones to get rid of. But, considering what they had been having to eat, the soldiers found the cold leftover fried-in-lard chicken to be very tasty. They decided to take the cake with them to their overnight camping site, just a hundred yards or so away in front of the house.
Most of the day was spent pilfering for things of value to plunder. It was then time to set up camp. A relatively level field site near the house was chosen to set up for the night. It was near a dug well with good water and in the fruit and pecan orchard. Being early spring, about the only thing available in the orchard was strawberries and not many of them. The soldiers had packed a few tents and cooking items for camping along their journey.
Four of the soldiers decided to stay the night in one of the vacant shacks that remained after the slaves were gone. Old remnants of beds and a fireplace were available. Because they isolated themselves from the major group, some of the soldiers who stayed in tents thought these four might have been gay. Though this notion was never confirmed, a few soldiers steered clear of them in a discriminating manner. Soldiers weren't always happy being in each other's presence but had to share a common goal of military activity and life.
The soldiers weren't exactly in dress uniform and freshly bathed. Body odors were strong and penetrating. Clothing was frayed and often dirty. A few had stains in their pants because of the diarrhea they had suffered. Their hair was scraggly and their faces were unshaven, for the most part. A few appeared sickly with colds and related ailments, such as ringworm and, perhaps, syphilis. Some had head lice and often scratched their scalps. In spite of all this, it was fortunate that the shots fired on the first day of encampment did not injure anyone. Overall, they were in better condition than the Confederate troops of a couple of weeks ago.
The soldiers searched the outbuildings for anything that would be useful. Small amounts of meat were taken from the smokehouse. Gunshots were heard from near the hogpen. Two 70-pound pigs were killed, primitively butchered, and, after gutting, roasted over a fire in the encampment. The fire singed the hair off, creating a bad odor; crusted the skin; and, after few hours, somewhat cooked through the carcasses. One soldier took the livers from the two pigs, cut them into slices, and tried to fry the slices in lard. Now, it was time for the troops to eat.
A few of the soldiers who had confiscated Pa's Dexter Whiskey began drinking before the tents were all up. Staggering about and slurring their words were signs they were into it. One, who particularly imbibed, had too much and began throwing up. Sad. Not much was in the vomit except a few particles of chewed chicken gizzard he had taken from the pie safe. He hadn't eaten since breakfast that day except for the leftover chicken. Two soldiers had piccolos and began playing them. Some of the soldiers joined in by singing, clapping, and dancing about. Their euphoria was likely the result of downing the liquor and being in a good camping site.
No one in the Shepard family rested well that night. Soldiers were at hand. Their behavior was unpredictable. Four soldiers stayed up to guard the encampment. One soldier had said he would see Ellen later, and that made her particularly fearful. Ellen made up her mind that she would defend herself as she needed. Also, there were Ellen's slightly younger sisters who might need defending. Of course, Ma was only 33 years of age and still quite attractive. But, everyone made it through the night okay. What would happen when daylight came?
The next morning, the soldiers were out and about at dawn. Fires were started for limited cooking of breakfast. No toilets were available; soldiers relieved themselves wherever convenient but never inside the camping area. Large leaves were used to wipe after 'taking a crap.' The camp was taken down in preparation for the march to the next site a few miles away. But, the soldiers didn't leave immediately.
Shortly after taking down the camp, some continued searching around the outbuildings for things of value. One freshly dug site near the hogpen got their attention. The soldiers checked and found a pottery container of gunpowder. This made some of them furious, particularly their commanding officer.
They returned to the Shepard home, fired three shots into the air, and called out much as they had on the previous day when they arrived. The family fearfully went onto the porch as per orders. Loaded guns were aimed at them. The captain shouted in terse terms about the gunpowder. The family hadn't told the soldiers about it. What else was hidden? None