oints in "math" and "phil." I had taught district
school one winter before going to West Point, and hence had acquired
the knack of explaining things.

Hood was not well up in mathematics. The first part of the course
especially he found very hard--so much so that he became discouraged.
After the unauthorized festivities of Christmas, particularly, he
seemed much depressed. On the 26th he asked me which I would prefer
to be, "an officer of the army or a farmer in Kentucky?" I replied
in a way which aroused his ambition to accomplish what he had set
out to do in coming to West Point, without regard to preference
between farming and soldiering. He went to work in good earnest,
and passed the January examinations, though by a very narrow margin.
From that time on he did not seem to have so much difficulty. When
we were fighting each other so desperately fifteen years later, I
wondered whether Hood remembered the encouragement I had given him
to become a soldier, and came very near thinking once or twice that
perhaps I had made a mistake. But I do not believe that public
enmity ever diminished my personal regard for my old friend and
classmate.

VISIT TO THE CAMP OF FRANK P. BLAIR, JR.

In thinking of McPherson, I recall an interesting incident connected
with Frank P. Blair, Jr.'s arrival with his corps about June 9,
referred to by General Sherman (Vol. II, page 24). For some reason
we had an afternoon's rest the day after Blair arrived; so I rode
over to his camp--seven or eight miles, perhaps--to greet my old
friend. McPherson, to whose army Blair's corps belonged, and other
officers were there. To our immense surprise, Blair had brought
along great hogsheads of ice and numerous baskets of champagne, as
if to increase the warmth of our welcome. Of course we did not
disdain such an unusual treat in the enemy's country. About sunset
McPherson invited me to visit his camp, and we started off at a
full gallop, which we kept up all the way, yet it was some time
after dark when we reached the headquarters of the Army of the
Tennessee. A good camp supper was awaiting us, with jolly young
officers to make it merry. It was not until supper was ended that
I began to realize the necessity of a night's march to get back to
my own camp. As our infantry line was twenty miles long, and the
cavalry stretched it out on either flank as many more, my single
orderly was quite sufficient p