His  Excellency  the  General-in-chief,  furthermore  orders,  that  the
dfferent  corps  shall  to-day  receive  from  the  commissary  three  days'
latious  for  the  21st,  22d  and  23d,  and  that  they  receive  the  necessary


340  LIFE  OF  GENERAL  TAYLOR.
meat  this  afternoon  for  the  first  meal  to-morrow  morning,  which  the
troops  are  directed  to  eat  one  hour  before  taking  up  the  line  of  march,
and  the  second  will  be  taken  in  their  haversacks  to  be  eaten  in  the
night  wherever  they  may  halt ;  tins  last  will  consist  of  meat,  two
biscuits,  and  a  half  of  a  cake  of  (piloncello)  brown  sugar  for  a  man,
for  on  the  nie^ht  the  21st,  there  will  be  no  fires  permitted,  neither
will  signal  be  made  by  any  military  instrument  of  music,  the
movement  at  early  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  23d,  having  to  be
made  in  the  most  profound  silence.
The  troops  will  drink  all  the  water  they  can  before  marching,  and
will  take  with  them  in  tlieir  canteens  or  other  vessels,  all  they^  can
possibly  carry,  and  tliey  will  economize  the  water  all  they  can,  for
we  shall  encamp  at  night  without  water,  and  shall  not  arrive  at  it
until  twelve  o'clock  on  the  following  day.
The  chief  of  corps  will  pay  much,  much  attention  to  this  last
instruction.
