This creek, from its mouth up to where it bears off west, lay between the two lines of pickets, and the guards of both armies drew their water from the same stream.  As I would be under short-range fire and in an open country, I took nobody with me, except, I believe, a bugler, who stayed some distance to the rear.  I rode from our right around to our left.  When I came to the camp of the picket guard of our side, I heard the call, “Turn out the guard for the commanding general.”  I replied, “Never mind the guard,” and they were dismissed and went back to their tents.  Just back of these, and about equally distant from the creek, were the guards of the Confederate pickets.  The sentinel on their post called out in like manner, “Turn out the guard for the commanding general,” and, I believe, added, “General Grant.”  Their line in a moment front-faced to the north, facing me, and gave a salute, which I returned.

The most friendly relations seemed to exist between the pickets of the two armies.  At one place there was a tree which had fallen across the stream, and which was used by the soldiers of both armies in drawing water for their camps.  General Longstreet’s corps was stationed there at the time, and wore blue of a little different shade from our uniform.  Seeing a soldier in blue on this log, I rode up to him, commenced conversing with him, and asked whose corps he belonged to.  He was very polite, and, touching his hat to me, said he belonged to General Longstreet’s corps.  I asked him a few questions—­but not with a view of gaining any particular information—­all of which he answered, and I rode off.

CHAPTER XLII.

CONDITION OF THE ARMY—­REBUILDING THE RAILROAD—­GENERAL BURNSIDE’S SITUATION—­ORDERS FOR BATTLE—­PLANS FOR THE ATTACK—­HOOKER’S POSITION —­SHERMAN’S MOVEMENTS.

Having got the Army of the Cumberland in a comfortable position, I now began to look after the remainder of my new command.  Burnside was in about as desperate a condition as the Army of the Cumberland had been, only he was not yet besieged.  He was a hundred miles from the nearest possible base, Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, and much farther from any railroad we had possession of.  The roads back were over mountains, and all supplies along the line had long since been exhausted.  His animals, too, had been starved, and their carcasses lined the road from Cumberland Gap, and far back towards Lexington, Ky.  East Tennessee still furnished supplies of beef, bread and forage, but it did not supply ammunition, clothing, medical supplies, or small rations, such as coffee, sugar, salt and rice.

Sherman had started from Memphis for Corinth on the 11th of October.  His instructions required him to repair the road in his rear in order to bring up supplies.  The distance was about three hundred and thirty miles through a hostile country.  His entire command could not have maintained the road if it had been completed.  The bridges had all been destroyed by the enemy, and much other damage done.  A hostile community lived along the road; guerilla bands infested the country, and more or less of the cavalry of the enemy was still in the West.  Often Sherman’s work was destroyed as soon as completed, and he only a short distance away.