Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Poetry and Incidents., Volume 8.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[29] Sherman's flank movements.--General Sherman's strategy in flanking the rebels out of their strong positions, puzzles the natives a good deal. A young woman said it was not fair to fight the Southern soldiers “on end.” She then went on to say that the day before General Bragg had formed “two streaks of fight” in their door-yard with “walking soldiers,” and General Wheeler formed “one streak of fight with critter soldiers” --meaning cavalry — behind the house, but that Joe Hooker had come up and flanked Bragg, and made him fall back, which he did in such a hurry, that he “upset dad's ash-hopper plant,” which cost two dollars and fifty cents in Atlanta; and “dad was a-goina to sue Bragg for waste.” This a fair specimen of the way these poor people think and talk. They do not generally display half the intelligence the slaves do.