While, we occupied the west bank of the Big Black, the east bank was watched by a rebel cavalry-division, commanded by General Armstrong.  He had four brigades, commanded by Generals Whitfield, Stark, Cosby, and Wirt Adams.  Quite frequently they communicated with us by flags of truce on trivial matters, and we reciprocated; merely to observe them.  One day a flag of truce, borne by a Captain B...., of Louisville, Kentucky, escorted by about twenty-five men, was reported at Messinger’s Ferry, and I sent orders to let them come right into my tent.  This brought them through the camps of the Fourth Division, and part of the Second; and as they drew up in front of my tent, I invited Captain B.... and another officer with him (a major from Mobile) to dismount, to enter my tent, and to make themselves at home.  Their escort was sent to join mine, with orders to furnish them forage and every thing they wanted.  B.... had brought a sealed letter for General Grant at Vicksburg, which was dispatched to him.  In the evening we had a good supper, with wine and cigars, and, as we sat talking, B.... spoke of his father and mother, in Louisville, got leave to write them a long letter without its being read by any one, and then we talked about the war.  He said:  “What is the use of your persevering?  It is simply impossible to subdue eight millions of people;” asserting that “the feeling in the South had become so embittered that a reconciliation was impossible.”  I answered that, “sitting as we then were, we appeared very comfortable, and surely there was no trouble in our becoming friends.”  “Yes,” said he, “that is very true of us, but we are gentlemen of education, and can easily adapt ourselves to any condition of things; but this would not apply equally well to the common people, or to the common soldiers.”  I took him out to the camp-fires behind the tent, and there were the men of his escort and mine mingled together, drinking their coffee, and happy as soldiers always seem.  I asked B.... what he thought of that, and he admitted that I had the best of the argument.  Before I dismissed this flag of truce, his companion consulted me confidentially as to what disposition he ought to make of his family, then in Mobile, and I frankly gave him the best advice I could.

While we were thus lying idle in camp on the big Black, the Army of the Cumberland, under General Rosecrans, was moving against Bragg at Chattanooga; and the Army of the Ohio, General Burnside, was marching toward East Tennessee.  General Rosecrans was so confident of success that he somewhat scattered his command, seemingly to surround and capture Bragg in Chattanooga; but the latter, reenforced from Virginia, drew out of Chattanooga, concentrated his army at Lafayette, and at Chickamauga fell on Rosecrans, defeated him, and drove him into Chattanooga.  The whole country seemed paralyzed by this unhappy event; and the authorities in Washington were thoroughly stampeded.  From the East the Eleventh Corps (Slocum), and the Twelfth Corps (Howard), were sent by rail to Nashville, and forward under command of General Hooker; orders were also sent to General Grant, by Halleck, to send what reenforcements he could spare immediately toward Chattanooga.