From the National Patriotic Instructor:

Donald L Martin

National Patriotic Instructor

SONS OF UNION VETERANS OF THE CIVIL WAR

January 2011

Don’t Complain: John Morgan Nance of the 34th Mississippi Infantry

The soldiers wore belts to carry their ammunition in. John Morgan’s belt was very heavy and made him tired to carry. In his mind, he decided that he was going to trade it for a lighter one. But, that very day he was hit with a bullet; it hit on the heavy belt and did not injure him. He decided then and there that he would wear that heavy belt for protection and he never complained about it again.

John Morgan was captured with a group of men and was sent to prison in Rock Island, Illinois. It was a very cold winter and they almost starved there. The men were all in one large room with one pot-bellied stove in the middle. To keep any men from hogging the stove, they drew a circle around the heater big enough that all the men were the same distance from the heater.

They had to do their own cooking. One man and a helper were chosen to cook. When several of the men complained that the food was not good (use your imagination) they passed a rule that whoever complained would automatically become cook. One cook had been cooking for several days and was ready to pass his job on, so he put a lot of salt in the big pot of food. Time to eat came and everyone got their share. The soup was very salty, but nobody dared to say a word. Finally, one man let it slip, “The soup is sure salty–but it’s very good!” It was too late! He was the new cook.

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Current Application…

We are all “snowed in” across the Camp. Be careful of complaints regarding the conditions of the roads – you may be promoted to snow removal by the TNDOT.

In F, C, and L,

George