rly ill-timed, out of
place, and ridiculous, addressed as it was to soldiers in front of the
enemy. But this was one of the results of universal suffrage. The
soldiers afterwards wanted General Hardee to say something, but he
declined. I imagine that the discipline in this army is the strictest in
the Confederacy, and that the men are much better marchers than those I
saw in Mississippi.

A soldier was shot in Wartrace this afternoon. We heard the volley just
as we left in the cars for Shelbyville. His crime was desertion to the
enemy; and as the prisoner's brigade was at Tullahoma (twenty miles
off), he was executed without ceremony by the Provost guard. Spies are
hung every now and then; but General Bragg told me it was almost
impossible for either side to stop the practice.

Bishop Elliott, Dr Quintard, and myself got back to General Polk's
quarters at 5 P.M., where I was introduced to a Colonel Styles, who was
formerly United States minister at Vienna. In the evening I made the
acquaintance of General Wheeler, Van Dorn's successor in the command of
the cavalry of this army, which is over 24,000 strong. He is a very
little man, only twenty-six years of age, and was dressed in a coat much
too big for him. He made his reputation by protecting the retreat of the
army through Kentucky last year. He was a graduate of West Point, and
seems a remarkably zealous officer, besides being very modest and
unassuming in his manners.

General Polk told me that, notwithstanding the departure of
Breckenridge, this army is now much stronger than it was at the time of
the battle of Murfreesborough. I think that probably 45,000 infantry and
artillery could be brought together immediately for a battle.

* * * * *

_2d June_ (Tuesday).--Colonel Grenfell and I rode to the outposts,
starting on the road to Murfreesborough at 6 A.M. It rained hard nearly
all day. He explained to me the method of fighting adopted by the
Western cavalry, which he said was admirably adapted for this country;
but he denied that they could, under any circumstances, stand a fair
charge of regular cavalry in the open. Their system is to dismount and
leave their horses in some secure place. One man is placed in charge of
his own and three other horses, whilst the remainder act as infantry
skirmishers in the dense woods and broken country, making a tremendous
row, and deceiving the enemy as to their numbers, and as to their
charac