And so they enjoyed many an hour in anticipation of their reception by friends who were mourning them as lost forever. And they were assured of hearty expressions of admiration from a generous public. And the Government would make proper acknowledgments. "Doctor," said Fred in the evening after dinner, "I wish you would tell us about the siege of Chattanooga, and Battle of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain." "All right," returned the Doctor. "If agreeable to all, I don't mind spinning a war yarn. Let me see; I left off at our entrance into Chattanooga. Well, Bragg's army was sitting upon the surrounding hills and mountains, watching us with eagle eyes. They cut off our lines of communication and supplies, and we soon began to feel the pangs of hunger. I saw stalwart men upon their hands and knees in the mud hunting for grains of corn that had rattled from the army wagons into the road. I saw horses in a battery adjoining my regiment gnaw nearly through great oak trees in the torments of hunger. And when they were fed their miserable pittance of corn, guards were necessary to keep the gaunt, hungry men from stealing it from the perishing brutes. "Desertions became exceedingly frequent; so much so that nearly every roll-call noted one or more missing from each regiment. What with sickness, deaths, and desertions, our ranks were becoming rapidly decimated. A council of war was held. General Sheridan, commanding at that time the 2nd division, 4th army corps, volunteered to make an example of two captured deserters in one of his regiments. His offer was accepted, and a morning or two later the whole army was notified to witness the execution of these deserters. Such extremities had not been resorted to for simply running away home (for they had not attempted to desert to the enemy), and we could not believe that they would be shot. But we did not know Phil Sheridan. "Who could have dreamed on that morning that this trim little man, who sat his horse like a centaur as he watched with critical eye the carrying out of the horrible details of this double execution, was soon to take rank among the greatest generals in the world's history?