fire and enterprise, but, while thoroughly impressed with
the necessity of order and discipline, was singularly unfortunate in
maintaining them--perhaps, because he did not keep strict enough rule
with his officers immediately next him in rank. He labored under great
disadvantages, on account of the violent and unjust prejudices excited
against him by General Bragg's preference for him and his rapid
promotion. General Morgan said to him, when first ordered to report to
him, that he (Morgan), had wished to be left free, acting independently
of all orders except from the Commander-in-Chief, but that since he was
to be subordinate to a corps commander, he would prefer him to any
other. General Morgan always entertained this opinion, and I have reason
to believe that General Wheeler reluctantly assumed command of his
division.

The history of the command, for the winter of 1863, properly commences
at the date of the return from the raid into Kentucky, described in the
last chapter. The entire division reached Smithville upon the 4th of
January, and remained in the vicinity of that little town and at Sligo
ferry until the 14th. Upon the 14th, the division was marched to
McMinnville, and encamped around that place--where General Morgan's
headquarters were then established. The first brigade lay between
McMinnville and Woodbury, at which latter point Lieutenant Colonel
Hutchinson was stationed with the Second Kentucky. The weather was
intensely cold, and all of the men who were unprovided with the means of
adequately sheltering themselves, suffered severely. Their ingenuity was
taxed to the utmost to supply the lack of cooking utensils, and it
frequently happened that they had very little to cook.

Fortunately, a great many blankets had been obtained upon the last raid,
and almost every man had gotten a gum cloth. These latter were
stretched over the rail shanties which each mess would put up; and thus
covered the sloping, shed-like structures (built of the fence rails),
made very tolerable substitutes for tents, and with the help of the
rousing fires, which were built at the front of them, were by no means
uncomfortable. Very little system was observed in the "laying out" of
the encampment--men and horses were all huddled together, for the men
did not fancy any arrangement which separated them by the slightest
distance from their horses, and the latter were always tied close to the
lairs of their masters.

Notwithstanding