Escape speculations

[L Verge]

Also, many of the residents who lived along the banks of the Rappahannock had had their homes used for target practice by Union patrol boats and were trying to save heirlooms, etc. by storing them with sympathizers inland.

Question for our doctors out there -- how long does rigor mortis last? For some reason, I have always thought that the body relaxes itself after a few hours. Also, would the movement of fluids within the body soon after death have accounted for any change in composition?