book, and my opportunities for knowing or hearing of any such expression as is there attributed to General Hardee, and of the relations that existed between Generals Hardee and Cleburne.
I never heard of any such expression as is attributed to General Hardee on pages 185-186 of General Hood's book until I saw it there.
My opportunities of hearing of it at the time it occurred and afterwards were briefly these: I commanded the sharpshooters of Cleburne's division in the operations of the army around Atlanta in July, August and September of the year 1864.
I was present and participated in the battles of the 20th, 21st and 22d of July, near Atlanta, and the battles at Jonesboro' on the 31st August and 1st of September.
I had been quite well acquainted with Generals Hardee and Cleburne from the summer of 1861, and had served under their command nearly all of the war. Before and during the forward movement of Cleburne's division on the 20th July, I was in the line of battle which it formed, and saw Generals Hardee and Cleburne several times on that occasion.
If, on that occasion, General Hardee, in the presence of soldiers, had cautioned General Cleburne "to be on the lookout for breastworks," such a remark under the circumstances would have caused wide-spread comment and criticism among the officers and soldiers of that division, and no man living would have better known that than General Hardee.
That division never heard that kind of talk on the battlefield from its subordinate officers, much less from General Hardee; that division was composed of veteran officers and soldiers, who had frequently stormed Federal breastworks before, and had never been repulsed in any such attack; and on the 20th of July every man in that division knew that in attacking the Federal forces, as we were about to do, that we would necessarily attack. them behind breastworks. It would have been a nonsensical absurdity (which he was utterly incapable of) for General Hardee to have used any such language, at such a time, and under such circumstances, and the bare statement of it is preposterous to any man who was acquainted with General Hardee's conduct and bearing upon the battlefield.
In battle I am satisfied that such an idea as sparing himself or the men under his command from the necessary casualties of such an occasion never occurred to him, but every movement was directed at the destruction of the enemy. He moved troops with great rapidity; and there was never any halting or hesitation in attacks made by troops under his command which could directly or indirectly be attributed to him.
I was on terms of intimate friendship with General Cleburne and the officers of his staff. I camped at night at General Cleburne's headquarters and generally received my orders direct from him every morning; frequently reported to him during the day,
