Chapter 7: March 31, 1862 Summary and Analysis

The next morning, Emma, as Cuff, found her hands were so blistered that she knew she wouldn't last an hour in the trenches. She bribed a kitchen worker with a shiny pen knife to change places with him. The other slave was happy to take her place in the field. Cuff's job was to take food to the crews manning the heavy artillery. Doing this work gave Cuff the opportunity to observe more of the equipment and layout. Cuff heard a conversation that General Robert E. Lee had visited the camp recently and complained that their defenses would never hold up to a Union assault.

Cuff also took note of where the "Quaker guns" were located. Quaker guns were logs that were painted black and from a distance looked exactly like cannons, making the Confederate appear more imposing than...