the troops had been so warned; and that the men who fired, and risked an alarm that put the whole army in peril, were instantly and properly executed. The personal appearance of the commander was unusually stern and military; he had few intimate friendships; and he sometimes gave offence to his officers by an occasional acerbity of manner. But whatever the fault of his head, or the unpleasantness of his exteriour, no one ever doubted that Gen. Braxton Bragg was one of the most single-minded patriots of the army, and would have freely given his life, on numberless occasions, to serve the cause of his country. |