The most anxious period of the war, to me, was during the time the Army of the Tennessee was guarding the territory acquired by the fall of Corinth and Memphis and before I was sufficiently reinforced to take the offensive.

The enemy also had cavalry operating in our rear, making it necessary to guard every point of the railroad back to Columbus, on the security of which we were dependent for all our supplies.

Headquarters were connected by telegraph with all points of the command except Memphis and the Mississippi below Columbus.

With these points communication was had by the railroad to Columbus, then down the river by boat.

To reinforce Memphis would take three or four days, and to get an order there for troops to move elsewhere would have taken at least two days.