September 13.—Went to the Methodist Church; heard an excellent sermon.
All are on the tiptoe of expectation, watching the development of General Bragg’s movements. He is marching his army into Georgia, having abandoned Chattanooga and Cumberland Gap; the latter place has been given up without firing a gun. Tennessee is now wholly at the mercy of the enemy.
Hundreds of troops are daily passing from Virginia to reinforce Bragg, of whom many are now predicting great things, saying that all he needed was plenty of men, which he has never had, and that the general he has had to contend against here outwitted General Lee in Western Virginia. Besides, the troops our men have to fight against are the Western ones, in bravery much superior to those that are opposed to the Virginia army.
But I am satisfied that both armies are brave enough for our good, as our losses have proved, and opened our eyes to the disagreeable fact, that one of our men is not equal to five of the enemy, as we at first thought. No one for a moment will say that our troops have not fought with a determination and bravery that have never been surpassed perhaps in any army, and that they have not always been opposed to at least double their numbers. Still, “honor to whom honor is due.” I have never spoken to any of our men on the subject, who have not told me that the enemy have exhibited a bravery and determination worthy of a better cause.
I have wondered at this, as I thought the race to which we all belong—the Anglo-Saxon one—never could make good soldiers without they were fighting for principle; or, in other words, had good consciences, and felt that their honor was at stake. We all know that the enemy have nothing of that kind to fight for. We have never wished to subjugate them or to take away their liberties, but have begged like suppliants, to be left to ourselves, with the sin of slavery(?) on our own shoulders.
Mrs. W. and myself have determined, that no matter how fine our hospital may be, or nice the place, not to fix our hearts on it; for if we do, we shall certainly have to run; although I can not see how we are to move further south, for, as the saying is, we are almost at the “jumping-off place.” If we should make a move north, we would gladly leave a palace, no matter what trouble it would give; as then we should know our cause was succeeding.
It is rumored that Forrest has had a fight near Ringgold. We are quite anxious about some of our attendants and hospital stores, which were left behind.
Dr. Bemiss is very much annoyed about two of his men having deserted. One of them, from Tennessee, was an excellent man. I asked Dr. B. how he thought such a man could desert, he answered, nothing would have made him except an earnest appeal from his wife, and that the women were the cause of nearly all the desertions. This is certainly not very complimentary to us, nor to the women of ’76 and Sparta, to whom our men are constantly comparing us.
