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No material change in this position of affairs in western Kentucky occurredwhile General Sherman remained in command, though there were severalsharp skirmishes between bodies of Kentucky recruits and Confederate scout-ing parties in the Lower Green River country.
In the mean time the East Tennessee expedition was not progressing. Nel-son, whose arbitrary temper had made him enemies among influential politi-cians, was sent to eastern Kentucky to superintend recruiting camps, andBrigadier-General George H. Thomas took command at Camp Dick Robinson.Thomas was an ardent advocate of themovement on East Tennessee and bentall his energies to getting ready for it,but his command was not half equip-ped and was wholly without transpor-tation; staff-officers were scarce, andfunds were not furnished. More pa-tient than Nelson, he was yet greatlytried by the importunities of the EastTennessee troops, and of the promi-nent politicians from that region, whomade his camp their rendezvous, as wellas by military suggestions from civil-ians more zealous than wise in suchmatters. The speech-making of dis-tinguished visitors became a burden tohim. On one occasion, when General Sherman visited his camp, Ex-SenatorJ. J. Crittenden, Senator Andrew Johnson, and Horace Maynard were there.A band came from the camp to serenade them, and the soldiers, not yet rid oftheir civilian characteristics, began calling for speeches from one after another.Thomas withdrew from the orators to the seclusion of a little room used asan office, on one side of the piazza from which they were speaking. One ofhis aides was writing in a corner, but Thomas did not see him, and beganstriding up and down the floor in growing irritation. At last Sherman, whowas not then such an orator as he is now, finished speaking, and cries arose for
“Thomas .” He blurted out, “-this speech-making! I won’t speak! What
does a man want to make a speech for, anyhow 1 ” Observing that he hadan auditor, he strode from the room slamming the door behind him, and kepthis own quarters for the rest of the evening.
Accustomed to the discipline of the regular army, and fresh from the 'well-organized army of General Patterson on the upper Potomac, Thomas hadlittle confidence in the raw recruits whom, for lack of a mustering officer, hemustered in himself. He was willing to advance into East Tennessee withhalf a dozen well-drilled regiments, and asked for and obtained them, butthey came without transportation, and he had none for them. While he wasstruggling to get ready for an advance, Zollicoffer had made several demon-strations, and to oppose him Garrard’s regiment had been thrown forward to
MAJOR-GENERAL LOVELL H. ROUSSEAU.FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.