ongue in her head, and her request for a
guard was, I thought, not preferred in the gentlest and most amiable
way. Her comments on our Northern soldiers were certainly not
complimentary to them. She said she had supposed hitherto that soldiers
were gentlemen. I confessed that they ought to be at least. She said,
rather emphatically, that Southern soldiers _were_ gentlemen. I replied
that I did not doubt at all the correctness of her statement; but,
unfortunately, the branch of the Northern army to which I had the honor
to belong had not been able to get near enough to them to obtain any
personal knowledge on the subject.

The upshot of the five minutes' interview was a promise to send a
soldier to protect Mrs. Harris' property and person during the night.

Returning to the regiment I sent for Sergeant Woolbaugh. He is one of
the handsomest men in the regiment; a printer by trade, an excellent
conversationalist, a man of extensive reading, and of thorough
information respecting current affairs. I said: "Sergeant, I desire you
to brighten up your musket, and clothes if need be, go over to the
little white cottage on the right and stand guard." "All right, sir."

As he was leaving I called to him: "If the lady of the house shows any
inclination to talk with you, encourage and gratify her to the top of
her bent. I want her to know what sort of men our Northern soldiers
are."

The Sergeant in due time introduced himself to Mrs. Harris, and was
invited into the sitting room. They soon engaged in conversation, and
finally fell into a discussion of the issue between the North and South
which lasted until after midnight. The lady, although treated with all
courtesy, certainly obtained no advantage in the controversy, and must
have arisen from it with her ideas respecting Northern soldiers very
materially changed.

2. Started on the return to Nashville at three o'clock in the morning.
The boys being again disappointed in not finding the enemy, and
considerably under the influence of liquor, conducted themselves in a
most disorderly and unsoldierly way.

Have not had a change of clothing since we crossed the Great Barren
river.

6. Regiment on picket.

When returning from the front I met a soldier of the Thirty-seventh
Indiana, trudging along with his gun on his shoulder. I asked him where
he was going; he replied that his father lived four miles beyond, and he
had just heard that his brother was home from the Southern a