her of
waters," two years of hard work and much fighting awaited me. The most
direct route to the Southwest was by Chattanooga, where General Bragg
was concentrating the Army of Tennessee. This officer had requested the
War Department to assign me to duty with his army as chief of staff, and
it was suggested to me to call on him _en route_. He had reached
Chattanooga in advance of his troops, then moving from Tupelo in
northern Mississippi. In the two days passed at Chattanooga, General
Bragg communicated to me his plan of campaign into Kentucky, which was
excellent, giving promise of large results if vigorously executed; and I
think its failure may be ascribed to the infirmities of the commander.

Born in North Carolina, graduated from West Point in 1837, Bragg served
long and creditably in the United States artillery. In the war with
Mexico he gained much celebrity, especially at Buena Vista, to the
success of which action, under the immediate eye of General Zachary
Taylor, he largely contributed. Resigning the service, he married a
lady of Louisiana and purchased an estate on the Bayou Lafourche, where
he resided at the outbreak of civil war. Promoted to the rank of general
after the death of Albert Sidney Johnston, he succeeded Beauregard,
retired by ill health, in command of the Army of Tennessee. Possessing
experience in and talent for war, he was the most laborious of
commanders, devoting every moment to the discharge of his duties. As a
disciplinarian he far surpassed any of the senior Confederate generals;
but his method and manner were harsh, and he could have won the
affections of his troops only by leading them to victory. He furnished a
striking illustration of the necessity of a healthy body for a sound
intellect. Many years of dyspepsia had made his temper sour and
petulant; and he was intolerant to a degree of neglect of duty, or what
he esteemed to be such, by his officers. A striking instance of this
occurred during my visit. At dinner, surrounded by his numerous staff, I
inquired for one of his division commanders, a man widely known and
respected, and received this answer: "General ---- is an old woman,
utterly worthless." Such a declaration, privately made, would have been
serious; but publicly, and certain to be repeated, it was astonishing.

As soon as we had withdrawn to his private room, I asked by whom he
intended to relieve General ----. "Oh! by no one. I have but one or two
fitted for high c