Addressing the enemy

In addition to inscribing various political statements and symbols, soldiers also marked walls with content more directly addressed to their enemy, in a form of taunting. (In some cases a location changed hands, and enemy soldiers wrote responses - see Exchanges).

In Morgan Chapel, the men of Battery B of the 1st Maryland Light Artillery (Snow's Battery) wrote extensively on the wall, signing their names and repeatedly addressing their opponents:

• "Snows Md Battery, our acquaintances, John, we have met you at New Bridge, Malvern Hill, Crunapth[?], Antietam and Fredericksburg, and are good of twice as many more"
• "Snows Md Battery [damaged] Bring on your Chickens Johnny / Put on the Graffs as you will need them"
• "Snow's Md Battery are whiparsing[?] Rebl Battery in Southern Army in a fair field / [Sgt?]C Reid Snow's Battery" [this drew a response - see Exchanges]

In Frederick Courthouse, which served as a prison for Union soldiers, there is an extended curse directed at Jefferson Davis:

"To Jeff Davis
may he be set afloat on a
boat without compass or rudder
then that any concerns be swallowed
by a shark the shark by a whale
whale in the devils belly and the 
devil in hell the gates locked the key lost
and further
may he be put in the north west
corner with a south east wind blowing
ashes in his eyes for all
eternity"