and that might mean a great many. But when
it came to a question of sleeping out in the cold rain, or camping down
in a crowded tent in true democratic equality and taking the chances of
immigration from our neighbors' clothing, we did not prefer the rain.

Of course, the private soldier has not much opportunity for exploration
about his camp, however strong may be his passion in that direction. I
did what I could, but my knowledge of the general encampment was much
enlarged when, during the days following the battle, all discipline
being relaxed, I tramped the field over in every direction and talked
with the men of numerous regiments on their camp grounds. Further on, I
shall refer to the position occupied by our army more at length, and
shall only refer now to the general position of our encampment, as on a
wooded plateau, accessible to attack only from the direction of
Corinth, the river being in our rear, Snake Creek and Owl Creek on our
right flank, and Lick Creek on our left. In places there were small
fields with their adjuncts of deserted cabins. Our troops were camped
wherever there was an opening in the woods or underbrush sufficiently
large for a regiment. There seemed to be no order or system about the
method of encampment, but each regiment occupied such suitable ground
as presented itself in the neighborhood of the rest of the brigade; and
the same was true of the brigades composing the divisions.

Our regiment was brigaded with the Twenty-eighth, Thirty-second, and
Forty-first Illinois. The division was commanded by Brigadier-General
Stephen A. Hurlbut (since somewhat noted as United States Minister to
Peru). We had served under him in Missouri, and our principal
recollection of him was an event which occurred at Macon. We had got
aboard a train of cattle cars for the purpose of going to the relief of
some point threatened by the enemy. After waiting on the train two or
three hours, expecting every moment to start, we noticed a couple of
staff officers supporting on each side the commanding general, and
leading him to the car I was in. Getting him to the side of the car,
they boosted him in at the door, procured a soldier's knapsack for him
to sit on, and left him. He was so drunk he couldn't sit upright. The
consequence was that the regimental officers refused to move. A
court-martial followed, and we heard no more of our general until we
found him at Pittsburg Landing in command of a division. He show