1862.] PICKET TALKS. 303 they had no thought of being reduced to the straits with which they had then grown sadly familiar. During most of the time when the two armies thus lay with only the river between them, the pickets talked freely with each other while watching along the banks. They also exchanged newspapers and other things, sending them across on little boats with paper sails, and sometimes even made visits. One day a Confederate hailed some Union pickets from across the river: "I say, Yanks, if a fellow goes over there will you let him come back again?" The Union men answered "Yes," and he proceeded to paddle himself across on a log. In reply to a question, he said he belonged to the "Georgia Legion." One of the pickets said, "I met quite a number of your boys at South Mountain." "I suppose so, if you were there," replied the Confederate, his face growing very sad. "We left many of our boys there, among them my poor brother Will. It was a very hot place for a while, and we had to leave it in a hurry." "That's so, Georgia, your fellows fought well there, but the Keystone boys pressed you hard. By the way, I have a likeness here" (taking it out of his pocket) "that I picked up the next morning. I have carried it ever since. You may know something about it." He handed the picture to the Confederate, who, as soon as he glanced at it, pressed it to his lips, exclaiming, "My mother! my mother!" When he had recovered from his emotion he said that his brother had the picture and must have lost it in the fight. He then asked the name of the Union man who had so kindly given him his mother's picture, saying: "There may be better times. soon, and we may know each other better." He took from his pocket a small Bible in which to write the address, when another of the Union men, who had not before said anything, cried out, "Let me see that book! It looks like one I lost at Bull Run!" "There's where I got it, Mr. Yank," said the Confederate, as he handed it to the speaker. The Union man hastily opened it and read on the fly-leaf: "My Christmas gift to Alex., December 25, 1860. Ella," "Ah!" said he, "if I could only see the giver of that book to-day, there's but one other gift I would want." "What's that, Alex. ?" asked one of his comrades. "The rebellion played out and my discharge in my pocket." Just then a horseman was seen coming and the Confederate paddled himself back across the river, for the Union pickets had been ordered not to talk with those on the other side. But this order was hard to obey, and when there were no officers in sight the men daily called out to each other, cracked jokes, and even met half way to exchange tobacco, coffee, and other soldiers' necessities. "How are you, Rebs?" called out a Union picket one cold morning, as he blew his fingers to keep them warm. "Oh! not very well to-day," was the reply. fered an awful loss. Jackson has resigned." "We have suf "Jackson resigned!" cried the astonished Yankee. "Why, how was that?" "They removed his commissary-general* and he wouldn't stand it; so he resigned." "His commissary-general? Who was he?" "Banks," was the answer. The Union picket felt the sarcasm, for it was a common joke among the Confederates that Jackson captured all his supplies from Banks, and he turned away and asked no more questions. * A commissary-general is the officer having general charge of providing troops with provisions, clothing, tents, etc. SPHERICAL CASE SHOT. CHAPTER XXVI. BRAGG IN KENTUCKY.-MURFREESBORO. GRANT AND SHERMAN.-GRANT AGAIN IN COMMAND.-SHERMAN'S COTTON MONEY.-GENERAL BRAGG SUCCEEDS BEAUREGARD.-MORGAN'S RAID INTO KENTUCKY.-FOREST IN TENNES SEE. KIRBY SMITH ENTERS KENTUCKY.-BATTLE OF RICHMOND.-BRAGG CAPTURES UNION TROOPS AT MUMFORDSVILLE.-A LONG WAGON TRAIN,-BUELL MARCHES AGAINST BRAGG. BATTLE OF PERRYVILLE. BRAGG RETREATS INTO TENNESSEE.-ROSECRANS SUCCEEDS BUELL.-BATTLE OF IUKA.-VAN DORN ATTACKS CORINTH.-DEFEATED BY ROSECRANS.PEMBERTON SUCCEEDS VAN DORN.-BRAGG AT MURFREESBORO.-PRESIDENT DAVIS'S VISIT. -COWARDLY SOLDIERS.-THE BATTLE OF MURFREESBORO.—BRAGG'S RETREAT. WE left General Halleck at Corinth, which place he had entered May 30, 1862, after its evacuation by General Beauregard. General Halleck did not follow Beauregard, who had taken a new position at Tupelo, in Mississippi, but soon scattered his army in various directions. General Sherman, who was then in General Thomas's division, thinks that this army was one of the best we ever had, and that Halleck might easily have marched it to Mobile or to Vicksburg and solved with it the whole question of the war in the Mississippi Valley. He thinks that it was Halleck's plan to make a forward campaign with it, but that he was prevented by interference from Washington. However this may have been, General Pope was called to Washington, General Buell was sent with the army of the Ohio toward Chattanooga, General Thomas being sent with him, and General McClernand was ordered to move toward Memphis. About this time General Grant, who had become tired of his position, asked for thirty days' leave of absence, which was given him. General Sherman, who knew that he was chafing under Halleck's slights, called on him and found. him all ready for a start. He asked him why he was going away. "Sherman, you know," replied Grant. "You know that I am in the way here. I have stood it as long as I can, and can endure it no longer." "Where are you going to?" asked Sherman. "St. Louis." "Have you any business there?" "Not a bit." Sherman then begged him to stay, told him that if he went away events would go right along and he would be left out, but that if he remained some happy accident might restore him to favor and give him his true place. Grant listened to this friendly advice, and told Sherman that he would think it over, and that he would at any rate put off his journey a few days. Shortly afterward Sherman received a note from him, saying that he had concluded to take his advice; and thus Grant's services were probably spared to the Union. Soon afterward Grant was given the command of Western Tennessee, with headquarters in Memphis, and in July, when General Halleck was called to Washington to take McClellan's place as general-in-chief of the armies of the United States, Grant succeeded him in command of the Army of the Tennessee. At the same time Sher man was sent to take Grant's place in Memphis. When General Sherman arrived at Memphis he found the city "dead," as he says; stores, churches, and schools were closed, and no business was doing. He caused all to be opened, and started the theatres and other places of amusement again, and in a short time Memphis began to look prosperous once more. Sherman also restored the city government and set up a good police. Business men were much troubled for want of good money, and the Common Council of the city proposed to issue a kind of paper currency, some bills as low as ten cents, to help merchants to make change. But General Sherman told them this would be unlawful, and that they would soon be supplied with the "postal currency" which the United States government was about to issue. For use until this arrived, he suggested a novel kind of small change. Cotton was then worth fifty cents a pound, and he proposed that the people should put it up in pounds and parts of a pound, so as to make packages of five, ten, twenty-five, and fifty cents' worth. He told them that in Mexico soap is money, and that people do their marketing with cakes of soap. "If cotton is king," he asked, "why not use cotton for money?" Meanwhile the Confederates had not been idle. The disasters they had met with at New Orleans and in the West during the early part of the year had roused them to new energy. Every man who could carry a musket was forced into the ranks, even boys of sixteen years of age being taken from school and 1862.] MORGAN IN KENTUCKY. 307 sent to the camp. Their armies were therefore soon largely increased, and order and discipline was enforced in the most rigid way. General Beauregard's health having failed, he was relieved from command of the army at Tupelo, and General Bragg appointed in his place. Bragg was an officer of great ability and energy, but was not as popular as Beauregard among his troops. In July John H. Morgan, the Confederate cavalry leader, made a raid into Kentucky. He issued a proclamation, calling on the young men of Kentucky to join him, saying that he had come as the liberator of the people, and that his force was the advance of the Confederate armies which were coming. He was soon joined by several hun dred recruits, and with more than two thousand horsemen roamed through the State, causing the greatest excitement, and plundering and destroying public property as he went. He cut telegraph wires, burned railway bridges and tore up rails, and advanced so near to Cincinnati as to cause great fear lest he should attack it. At the same time General N. B. Forrest, the same who escaped with his BRAXTON BRAGG. cavalry from Fort Donelson, made a raid through Tennessee, captured at Murfreesboro General T. L. Crittenden and a large quantity of stores, and seriously threatened Nashville. When General Buell moved toward Chattanooga, General Bragg marched in the same direction on the other side of the . Tennessee River. Bragg, who had about sixty thousand welltrained men, reached the goal first, and in the latter part of August set out to invade Kentucky. His object in this was to draw off the Union forces from Western Tennessee and Alabama, and to take Louisville if possible. The advance of his army, led by General E. Kirby Smith, entered Kentucky through the Cumberland Mountains from East Tennessee, and |