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.

The Memphis and Charleston Railroad strikes the Tennessee River at Eastport, Mississippi.  Knowing the difficulty Sherman would have to supply himself from Memphis, I had previously ordered supplies sent from St. Louis on small steamers, to be convoyed by the navy, to meet him at Eastport.  These he got.  I now ordered him to discontinue his work of repairing roads and to move on with his whole force to Stevenson,