drunk at Atlanta, instead of doing his duty at the front by leading his men.
He saw that I was a little fellow, and probably thought, on that account, he could bully me with impunity ; so, while I was answering the thousand and one questions that were put to me, he began making offensive and insulting remarks, and asking me insolent questions, until I longed to give him a lesson in good manners that he would not forget in a hurry, and resolved that I would make an effort to chastise him if he did not behave himself.
This was one of the class of men for which I had a hearty contempt; and, as I neither wished to be annoyed by his drunken insolence, nor to quarrel with him if I could avoid it, I left the office and went into the wash-room. The general evidently considered this a retreat due to his prowess, prowess which he was careful not to make any great display of within the smell of gunpowder, and he followed me, apparently determined to provoke me to the utmost. I, however, took no notice of him, but, after washing my hands, came out and took a seat in the office beside my esteemed friend, Major Bacon a thorough gentleman in every sense of the word.
My persecutor still following me, now came and seated him self on the other side of me, and made some insolent remark which I do not care to remember. This excited my wrath, and I resolved to put a stop to the tipsy brute's annoyances. I accordingly said to him, "See here, sir, I don't want to have anything to do with you, so go away and let me be, or it will be worse for you."
At this he sprang up, his eyes glaring with drunken fury, and swinging his arms around in that irresponsible way incident to inebriety, he began to swear in lively fashion, and said, "What’ll be worse for me? What do you mean? Ill lick you out of your boots! I can lick you, or any dozen like you."
Nice talk, this, for a general, who was supposably a gentleman, wasn't it? I merely said, in reply, "You are too drunk, sir, to be responsible. I intend, however, when you are sober, that you shall apologize to me for this, or else make you settle it in a way that will, perhaps, not be agreeable to you."
He glared at me as I uttered these words ; but my firm manner evidently cowed him, and turning, with a coarse, tipsy laugh, he said, to an officer who was standing near
