[41] This was the occasion when they telegraphed such a quantity of
nonsense to the Yankee general, receiving valuable information in
return, and such necessary stores by train as Morgan was in need of.
* * * * *
_31st May_ (Sunday).--The Bishop of Georgia preached to-day to a very
large congregation in the Presbyterian church. He is a most eloquent
preacher; and he afterwards confirmed about twenty people,--amongst
others, Colonel Gale (over forty years old), and young Polk. After
church, I called again on General Bragg, who talked to me a long time
about the battle of Murfreesborough (in which he commanded). He said
that he retained possession of the ground he had won for three days and
a half, and only retired on account of the exhaustion of his troops, and
after carrying off over 6000 prisoners, much cannon, and other trophies.
He allowed that Rosecrans had displayed much firmness, and was "_the
only man in the Yankee army who was not badly beaten_." He showed me, on
a plan, the exact position of the two armies, and also the field of
operations of the renowned guerillas, Morgan and Forrest.
Colonel Grenfell called again, and I arranged to visit the outposts
with him on Tuesday. He spoke to me in high terms of Bragg, Polk,
Hardee, and Cleburne; but he described some of the others as "political"
generals, and others as good fighters, but illiterate and somewhat
addicted to liquor. He deplored the effect of politics upon military
affairs as very injurious in the Confederate army, though not so bad as
it is in the Northern.
At 2 P.M. I travelled in the cars to Wartrace in company with General
Bragg and the Bishop of Georgia. We were put into a baggage-car, and the
General and the Bishop were the only persons provided with seats.
Although the distance from Shelbyville to Wartrace is only eight miles,
we were one hour and ten minutes in effecting the _trajet_, in such a
miserable and dangerous state were the rails. On arriving at Wartrace we
were entertained by Major-General Cleburne. This officer gave me his
history. He is the son of a doctor at or near Ballincolig. At the age of
seventeen he ran away from home, and enlisted in Her Majesty's 41st
Regiment of foot, in which he served three years as private and
corporal. He then bought his discharge, and emigrated to Arkansas, where
he studied law, and, eschewing politics, he got a good practice as a
lawyer. At the outbreak of the war he was elected captain of his
company, then colonel of his regiment, and has since, by his
distinguished services in all the western campaigns, been appointed to
the command of a division (10,000 men)--the highest military rank which
has been attained by a foreigner in the Confederate service. He told me
that he ascribed his advancement mainly to the useful lessons which he
had learnt in the ranks of the British army, and he pointed with a laugh
to his general's white facings, which he said his 41st experience
enabled him to keep cleaner than any other Confederate general.[42] He
is now thirty-five years of age; but, his hair having turned grey, he
looks older. Generals Bragg and Hardee both spoke to me of him in terms
of the highest praise, and said that he had risen entirely by his own
personal merit.
At 5 P.M. I was present at a great open-air preaching at General Wood's
camp. Bishop Elliott preached most admirably to a congregation composed
of nearly 3000 soldiers, who listened to him with the most profound
attention. Generals Bragg, Polk, Hardee, Withers, Cleburne, and endless
brigadiers, were also present. It is impossible to exaggerate the
respect paid by all ranks of this army to Bishop Elliott; and although
most of the officers are Episcopalians, the majority of the soldiers are
Methodists, Baptists, &c. Bishop Elliott afterwards explained to me that
the reason most of the people had become dissenters was because there
had been no bishops in America during the "British dominion;" and all
the clergy having been appointed from England, had almost without
exception stuck by the King in the Revolution, and had had their livings
forfeited.
I dined and slept at General Hardee's, but spent the evening at Mrs
----'s, where I heard renewed philippics directed by the ladies against
the Yankees.
I find that it is a great mistake to suppose that the Press is gagged in
the South, as I constantly see the most violent attacks upon the
President--upon the different generals and their measures. To-day I
heard the officers complaining bitterly of the 'Chattanooga Rebel,' for
publishing an account of Breckenridge's departure from this army to
reinforce Johnston in Mississippi, and thus giving early intelligence to
the enemy.
[42] The 41st Regiment wears white facings; so do the generals in the
Confederate army. M. de Polignac has recently been appointed a
brigadier: he and Cleburne are the only two generals amongst the
Confederates who are foreigners.
* * * * *
_1st June_ (Monday).--We all went to a review of General Liddell's
brigade at Bellbuckle, a distance of six miles. There were three
carriages full of ladies, and I rode an excellent horse, the gift of
General John Morgan to General Hardee. The weather and the scenery were
delightful. General Hardee asked me particularly whether Mr Mason had
been kindly received in England. I replied that I thought he had, by
private individuals. I have often found the Southerners rather touchy on
this point.
General Liddell's brigade was composed of Arkansas troops--five very
weak regiments which had suffered severely in the different battles, and
they cannot be easily recruited on account of the blockade of the
Mississippi. The men were good-sized, healthy, and well clothed, but
without any attempt at uniformity in colour or cut; but nearly all were
dressed either in grey or brown coats and felt hats. I was told that
even if a regiment was clothed in proper uniform by the Government, it
would become parti-coloured again in a week, as the soldiers preferred
wearing the coarse homespun jackets and trousers made by their mothers
and sisters at home. The Generals very wisely allow them to please
themselves in this respect, and insist only upon their arms and
accoutrements being kept in proper order. Most of the officers were
dressed in uniform which is neat and serviceable--viz., a bluish-grey
frock-coat of a colour similar to Austrian yagers. The infantry wear
blue facings, the artillery red, the doctors black, the staff white, and
the cavalry yellow; so it is impossible to mistake the branch of the
service to which an officer belongs--nor is it possible to mistake his
rank. A second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain, wear
respectively one, two, and three bars on the collar. A major,
lieutenant-colonel, and colonel, wear one, two, and three stars on the
collar.
Before the marching past of the brigade, many of the soldiers had taken
off their coats and marched past the General in their shirt-sleeves, on
account of the warmth. Most of them were armed with Enfield rifles
captured from the enemy. Many, however, had lost or thrown away their
bayonets, which they don't appear to value properly, as they assert that
they have never met any Yankees who would wait for that weapon. I
expressed a desire to see them form square, but it appeared they were
"not drilled to such a manoeuvre" (except square two deep). They said
the country did not admit of cavalry charges, even if the Yankee cavalry
had stomach to attempt it.
Each regiment carried a "battle-flag," blue, with a white border, on
which were inscribed the names "Belmont," "Shiloh," "Perryville,"
"Richmond, Ky.," and "Murfreesborough." They drilled tolerably well, and
an advance in line was remarkably good; but General Liddell had invented
several dodges of his own, for which he was reproved by General Hardee.
The review being over, the troops were harangued by Bishop Elliott in
an excellent address, partly religious, partly patriotic. He was
followed by a congress man of vulgar appearance, named Hanley, from
Arkansas, who delivered himself of a long and uninteresting political
oration, and ended by announcing himself as a candidate for re-election.
This speech seemed to me (and to others) particularly ill-timed, out of
place, and ridiculous, addressed as it was to soldiers in front of the
enemy. But this was one of the results of universal suffrage. The
soldiers afterwards wanted General Hardee to say something, but he
declined. I imagine that the discipline in this army is the strictest in
the Confederacy, and that the men are much better marchers than those I
saw in Mississippi.
A soldier was shot in Wartrace this afternoon. We heard the volley just
as we left in the cars for Shelbyville. His crime was desertion to the
enemy; and as the prisoner's brigade was at Tullahoma (twenty miles
off), he was executed without ceremony by the Provost guard. Spies are
hung every now and then; but General Bragg told me it was almost
impossible for either side to stop the practice.
Bishop Elliott, Dr Quintard, and myself got back to General Polk's
quarters at 5 P.M., where I was introduced to a Colonel Styles, who was
formerly United States minister at Vienna. In the evening I made the
acquaintance of General Wheeler, Van Dorn's successor in the command of
the cavalry of this army, which is over 24,000 strong. He is a very
little man, only twenty-six years of age, and was dressed in a coat much
too big for him. He made his reputation by protecting the retreat of the
army through Kentucky last year. He was a graduate of West Point, and
seems a remarkably zealous officer, besides being very modest and
unassuming in his manners.
General Polk told me that, notwithstanding the departure of
Breckenridge, this army is now much stronger than it was at the time of
the battle of Murfreesborough. I think that probably 45,000 infantry and
artillery could be brought together immediately for a battle.
* * * * *
_2d June_ (Tuesday).--Colonel Grenfell and I rode to the outposts,
starting on the road to Murfreesborough at 6 A.M. It rained hard nearly
all day. He explained to me the method of fighting adopted by the
Western cavalry, which he said was admirably adapted for this country;
but he denied that they could, under any circumstances, stand a fair
charge of regular cavalry in the open. Their system is to dismount and
leave their horses in some secure place. One man is placed in charge of
his own and three other horses, whilst the remainder act as infantry
skirmishers in the dense woods and broken country, making a tremendous
row, and deceiving the enemy as to their numbers, and as to their
character as infantry or cavalry. In this manner Morgan, assisted by two
small guns, called bulldogs, attacked the Yankees with success in
towns, forts, stockades, and steamboats; and by the same system, Wheeler
and Wharton kept a large pursuing army in check for twenty-seven days,
retreating and fighting every day, and deluding the enemy with the idea
that they were being resisted by a strong force composed of all three
branches of the service.
Colonel Grenfell told me that the only way in which an officer could
acquire influence over the Confederate soldiers was by his personal
conduct under fire. They hold a man in great esteem who in action sets
them an example of contempt for danger; but they think nothing of an
officer who is not in the habit of _leading_ them; in fact, such a man
could not possibly retain his position. Colonel Grenfell's expression
was, "Every atom of authority has to be purchased by a drop of your
blood." He told me he was in desperate hot water with the civil
authorities of the State, who accuse him of illegally impressing and
appropriating horses, and also of conniving at the escape of a negro
from his lawful owner, and he said that the military authorities were
afraid or unable to give him proper protection.
For the first nine miles our road was quite straight and hilly, with a
thick wood on either side. We then reached a pass in the hills called
Guy's Gap, which, from the position of the hills, is very strong, and
could be held by a small force. The range of hills extends as far as
Wartrace, but I understand the position could be turned on the left.
About two miles beyond Guy's Gap were the headquarters of General
Martin, the officer who commands the brigade of cavalry stationed in the
neighbourhood. General Martin showed me the letter sent by the Yankees a
few days ago by flag of truce with Mr Vallandigham. This letter was
curiously worded, and ended, as far as I can remember, with this
expression: "Mr Vallandigham is therefore handed over to the respectful
attention of the Confederate authorities." General Martin told me that
skirmishing and bushwhacking went on nearly every day, and that ten days
ago the enemy's cavalry by a bold dash had captured a field-piece close
to his own quarters. It was, however, retaken, and its captors were
killed.
One of General Martin's staff officers conducted us to the bivouac of
Colonel Webb (three miles further along the road), who commanded the
regiment on outpost duty there--51st Alabama Cavalry. This Colonel Webb
was a lawyer by profession, and seemed a capital fellow; and he insisted
on riding with us to the videttes in spite of the rain, and he also
desired his regiment to turn out for us by the time we returned. The
extreme outposts were about two miles beyond Colonel Webb's post, and
about sixteen miles from Shelbyville. The neutral ground extended for
about three miles. We rode along it as far as it was safe to do so, and
just came within sight of the Yankee videttes. The Confederate videttes
were at an interval of from 300 to 400 yards of each other. Colonel
Webb's regiment was in charge of two miles of the front; and, in a
similar manner, the chain of videttes was extended by other corps right
and left for more than eighty miles. Scouts are continually sent forward
by both sides to collect information. Rival scouts and pickets
invariably fire on one another whenever they meet; and Colonel Webb
good-naturedly offered, if I was particularly anxious to see their
customs and habits, to send forward a few men and have a little fight. I
thanked him much for his kind offer, but begged he wouldn't trouble
himself so far on my account. He showed me the house where Vallandigham
had been "dumped down" between the outposts when they refused to receive
him by flag of truce.
The woods on both sides of the road showed many signs of the conflicts
which are of daily occurrence. Most of the houses by the roadside had
been destroyed; but one plucky old lady had steadfastly refused to turn
out, although her house was constantly an object of contention, and
showed many marks of bullets and shell. Ninety-seven men were employed
every day in Colonel Webb's regiment to patrol the front. The remainder
of the 51st Alabama were mounted and drawn up to receive Colonel
Grenfell on our return from the outposts. They were uniformly armed with
long rifles and revolvers, but without sabres, and they were a fine body
of young men. Their horses were in much better condition than might have
been expected, considering the scanty food and hard duty they had had to
put up with for the last five months, without shelter of any kind,
except the trees. Colonel Grenfell told me they were a very fair
specimen of the immense number of cavalry with Bragg's army. I got back
to Shelbyville at 4.30 P.M., just in time to be present at an
interesting ceremony peculiar to America. This was a baptism at the
Episcopal Church. The ceremony was performed in an impressive manner by
Bishop Elliott, and the person baptised was no less than the
commander-in-chief of the army. The Bishop took the general's hand in
his own (the latter kneeling in front of the font), and said, "Braxton,
if thou hast not already been baptised, I baptise thee," &c. Immediately
afterwards he confirmed General Bragg, who then shook hands with General
Polk, the officers of their respective staffs, and myself, who were the
only spectators.
The soldiers on sentry at General Polk's quarters this afternoon were
deficient both of shoes and stockings. These were the first barefooted
soldiers I had as yet seen in the Confederacy.
I had intended to have left Shelbyville to-morrow with Bishop Elliott;
but as I was informed that a reconnaissance in force was arranged for
to-morrow, I accepted General Polk's kind offer of farther hospitality
for a couple of days more. Four of Polk's brigades with artillery move
to the front to-morrow, and General Hardee is also to push forward from
Wartrace. The object of this movement is to ascertain the enemy's
strength at Murfreesborough, as rumour asserts that Rosecrans is
strengthening Grant in Mississippi, which General Bragg is not disposed
to allow with impunity. The weather is now almost chilly.
* * * * *
_3d June_ (Wednesday).--Bishop Elliott left for Savannah at 6 A.M., in
a downpour of rain, which continued nearly all day. Grenfell came to see
me this morning in a towering rage. He had been arrested in his bed by
the civil power on a charge of horse-stealing, and conniving at the
escape of a negro from his master. General Bragg himself had stood bail
for him, but Grenfell was naturally furious at the indignity. But, even
according to his own account, he seems to have acted indiscreetly in the
affair of the negro, and he will have to appear before the civil court
next October. General Polk and his officers were all much vexed at the
occurrence, which, however, is an extraordinary and convincing proof
that the military had not superseded the civil power in the Southern
States; for here was an important officer arrested, in spite of the
commander-in-chief, when in the execution of his office before the
enemy. By standing bail, General Bragg gave a most positive proof that
he exonerated Grenfell from any malpractices.[43]
In the evening, after dark, General Polk drew my attention to the manner
in which the signal beacons were worked. One light was stationary on the
ground, whilst another was moved backwards and forwards over it. They
gave us intelligence that General Hardee had pushed the enemy to within
five miles of Murfreesborough, after heavy skirmishing all day.
I got out of General Polk the story of his celebrated adventure with
the ---- Indiana (Northern) regiment, which resulted in the almost total
destruction of that corps. I had often during my travels heard officers
and soldiers talking of this extraordinary feat of the "Bishop's." The
modest yet graphic manner in which General Polk related this wonderful
instance of coolness and bravery was extremely interesting, and I now
repeat it, as nearly as I can, in his own words.
"Well, sir, it was at the battle of Perryville, late in the evening--in
fact, it was almost dark when Liddell's Brigade came into action.
Shortly after its arrival I observed a body of men, whom I believed to
be Confederates, standing at an angle to this brigade, and firing
obliquely at the newly arrived troops. I said, 'Dear me, this is very
sad, and must be stopped;' so I turned round, but could find none of my
young men, who were absent on different messages; so I determined to
ride myself and settle the matter. Having cantered up to the colonel of
the regiment which was firing, I asked him in angry tones what he meant
by shooting his own friends, and I desired him to cease doing so at
once. He answered with surprise, 'I don't think there can be any mistake
about it; I am sure they are the enemy.' 'Enemy!' I said; 'why, I have
only just left them myself. Cease firing, sir; what is your name, sir?'
'_My name is Colonel ----, of the ---- Indiana; and pray, sir, who are
you?_'
"Then for the first time I saw, to my astonishment, that he was a
Yankee, and that I was in rear of a regiment of Yankees. Well, I saw
that there was no hope but to brazen it out; my dark blouse and the
increasing obscurity befriended me, so I approached quite close to him
and shook my fist in his face, saying, 'I'll soon show you who I am,
sir; cease firing, sir, at once.' I then turned my horse and cantered
slowly down the line, shouting in an authoritative manner to the Yankees
to cease firing; at the same time I experienced a disagreeable
sensation, like screwing up my back, and calculating how many bullets
would be between my shoulders every moment. I was afraid to increase my
pace until I got to a small copse, when I put the spurs in and galloped
back to my men. I immediately went up to the nearest colonel, and said
to him, 'Colonel, I have reconnoitred those fellows pretty closely--and
I find there is no mistake who they are; you may get up and go at them.'
And I assure you, sir, that the slaughter of that Indiana regiment was
the greatest I have ever seen in the war."[45]
It is evident to me that a certain degree of jealous feeling exists
between the Tennesseean and Virginian armies. This one claims to have
had harder fighting than the Virginian army, and to have been opposed to
the best troops and best generals of the North.
The Southerners generally appear to estimate highest the north-western
Federal troops, which compose in a great degree the armies of Grant and
Rosecrans; they come from the states of Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, &c. The
Irish Federals are also respected for their fighting qualities; whilst
the genuine Yankees and Germans (Dutch) are not much esteemed.
I have been agreeably disappointed in the climate of Tennessee, which
appears quite temperate to what I had expected.
[43] I cut this out of a Charleston paper some days after I had parted
from Colonel Grenfell: Colonel Grenfell was only obeying General Bragg's
orders in depriving the soldier of his horse, and temporarily of his
money:--
"COLONEL ST LEGER GRENFELL.--The Western army correspondent of the
'Mobile Register' writes as follows:--The famous Colonel St Leger
Grenfell, who served with Morgan last summer, and since that time has
been Assistant Inspector-General of General Bragg, was arrested a few
days since by the civil authorities. The sheriff and his officers called
upon the bold Englishman before he had arisen in the morning, and after
the latter had performed his toilet duties he buckled on his belt and
trusty pistols. The officer of the law remonstrated, and the Englisher
damned, and a struggle of half an hour ensued, in which the stout
Britisher made a powerful resistance, but, by overpowering force, was at
last placed _hors de combat_ and disarmed.[44] The charges were, that he
retained in his possession the slave of a Confederate citizen, and
refused to deliver him or her up; that meeting a soldier coming to the
army leading a horse, he accused him of being a deserter, dismounted
him, took his horses and equipments and _money_, stating that deserters
were not worthy to have either horses or money, and sent the owner
thereof off where he would not be heard of again. The result of the
affair was, that Colonel Grenfell, whether guilty or not guilty,
delivered up the negro, horses, and money to the civil authorities. If
the charges against him are proven true, then there is no doubt that the
course of General Bragg will be to dismiss him from his staff; but if,
on the contrary, malicious slanders are defaming this ally, he is
Hercules enough and brave enough to punish them. His bravery and
gallantry were conspicuous throughout the Kentucky campaign, and it is
hoped that this late tarnish on his fame will be removed; or if it be
not, that he will."
[44] This is all nonsense--the myrmidons of the law took very good care
to pounce upon Colonel Grenfell when he was in bed and asleep.
[45] If these lines should ever meet the eyes of General Polk, I hope he
will forgive me if I have made any error in recording his adventure.
* * * * *