orough (twenty-five miles distant)
being his headquarters. The Confederate cavalry enclosed him in a
semicircle extending over a hundred miles of country. He told me that
West Tennessee, occupied by the Federals, was devoted to the Confederate
cause, whilst East Tennessee, now in possession of the Confederates,
contained numbers of people of Unionist proclivities. This very place,
Shelbyville, had been described to me by others as a "Union hole."

After my interview with General Bragg, I took a ride along the
Murfreesborough road with Colonel Richmond, A.D.C. to General Polk.
About two miles from Shelbyville, we passed some lines made to defend
the position. The trench itself was a very mild affair, but the higher
ground could be occupied by artillery in such a manner as to make the
road impassable. The thick woods were being cut down in front of the
lines for a distance of eight hundred yards, to give range. During our
ride I met Major-General Cheetham, a stout, rather rough-looking man,
but with the reputation of "a great fighter." It is said that he does
all the necessary swearing in the 1st _corps d'armee_, which General
Polk's clerical character incapacitates him from performing. Colonel
Richmond gave me the particulars of General Van Dorn's death, which
occurred about forty miles from this. His loss does not seem to be much
regretted, as it appears he was always ready to neglect his military
duties for an assignation. In the South it is not considered necessary
to put yourself on an equality with a man in such a case as Van Dorn's
by calling him out. His life belongs to the aggrieved husband, and
"shooting down" is universally esteemed the correct thing, even if it
takes place after a lapse of time, as in the affair between General Van
Dorn and Dr Peters.

[Illustration: LIEUT.-GENERAL LEONIDAS POLK.]

News arrived this evening of the capture of Helena by the Confederates,
and of the hanging of a negro regiment with forty Yankee officers. Every
one expressed sorrow for the blacks, but applauded the destruction of
their officers.[39]

I slept in General Polk's tent, he occupying a room in the house
adjoining. Before going to bed, General Polk told me an affecting story
of a poor widow in humble circumstances, whose three sons had fallen in
battle one after the other, until she had only one left, a boy of
sixteen. So distressing was her case that General Polk went himself to
comfort her. She looked steadily at h