of
some of his military notions acquired while serving on the staff. He
soon gave in to the prevalent cavalry opinion that horses were, or at
least ought to be, "common carriers." During this winter, more prisoners
were taken than there were effective men in the division, or men
actively at work. The loss in killed and wounded which it inflicted was
also severe, and the captures of stores, munitions, etc., were valuable
and heavy.

The exertions made to equip and supply the command, by the division
Quartermaster and Commissary of Subsistence, Majors Llewellyn and
Elliott, ought to be mentioned, if for no other reason than the
injustice which has been done them and the unmerited censures which have
been showered upon them. Even now, there are, doubtless, few officers or
men of the former Confederate army who can so far overcome the prejudice
deeply rooted against men who served in those departments, that they can
speak with any sort of commendation of Quartermasters and Commissaries.
It has rarely happened that even the most industrious, efficient and
honest of these officers have escaped the severest denunciation. I can
testify that both of these gentlemen strove hard to provide for the
wants of the division, although the tender attention they paid to their
own, prevented them getting credit for it. They might have done better
it is true, and the same can be said of all of us--but they certainly
did a great deal. Major Elliott was never himself except when
encompassed by difficulties--when there was really some excuse for
failure, when supplies were really hard to obtain, then he became great.
The avalanche of curses which invariably descend upon a Commissary, at
all times, never disturbed his equanimity, except when he was in a
barren country--then he would display Napoleonic resources.

Once a large lot of meat stored at Smithville took fire. He issued
cooked hams to the troops, and the loss was scarcely felt. Once he lost
all of his papers, accounts, receipts; vouchers, memoranda all went down
on abstract, L., as the Quartermaster said of himself, who was picked
off by a sharpshooter. The loss did not disturb him for a moment. He
declared he could supply every paper from memory, and produced an
entirely new set, which he claimed to be identical in substance with the
originals. Of course every one laughed at him, but in the course of
time, the old papers turned up, and, sure enough, there was not a
dollar's differe