pure devilment, set fire to the leaves, and to-night
the forest was illuminated. The flames advanced so rapidly that, at one
time, we feared they might get beyond control, but the fire was finally
whipped out, not, however, without making as much noise in the operation
as would be likely to occur at the burning of an entire city.

5. General Mitchell has issued an immense number of orders, and of
course holds the commandants of regiments responsible for their
execution. I have, as in duty bound, done my best to enforce them, and
the men think me unnecessarily severe.

To-day a soldier about half drunk was arrested for leaving camp without
permission and brought to my quarters; he had two canteens of whisky on
his person. I remonstrated with him mildly, but he grew saucy,
insubordinate, and finally insolent and insulting; he said he did not
care a damn for what I thought or did, and was ready to go to the
guard-house; in fact wanted to go there. Finally, becoming exasperated,
I took the canteens from him, poured out the whisky, and directed
Captain Patterson to strap him to a tree until he cooled off somewhat.
The Captain failing in his efforts to fasten him securely, I took my
saddle girth, backed him up to the tree, buckled him to it, and returned
to my quarters. This proved to be the last straw which broke the
unfortunate camel's back. It was a high-handed outrage upon the person
of a volunteer soldier; the last and worst of the many arbitrary and
severe acts of which I had been guilty. The regiment seemed to arise _en
masse_, and led on by a few reckless men who had long disliked me,
advanced with threats and fearful oaths toward my tent. The bitter
hatred which the men entertained for me had now culminated. It being
Sunday the whole regiment was off duty, and while some, and perhaps
many, of the boys had no desire to resort to violent measures, yet all
evidently sympathized with the prisoner, and regarded my action as
arbitrary and cruel. The position of the soldier was a humiliating one,
but it gave him no bodily pain. Possibly I had no authority for
punishing him in this way; and had I taken time for reflection it is
more than probable I should have found some other and less objectionable
mode; confinement in the guard-house, however, would have been no
punishment for such a man; on the contrary it would have afforded him
that relief from disagreeable duty which he desired. At any rate the
act, whether right or