Two weeks after the battle of Perryville, Buell argued his case with Halleck for not attempting to follow Bragg out of Kentucky. Buell principally maintained that the countryside through which he would have had to march was a barren "desert", an inhospitable place where it would be next to impossible to find enough forage, at that time of year, for his horses and mules. Halleck's best response was that since Bragg was able to manuever through the region, so should Buell! Was Buell's policy of non-confiscation of private properties (the apparent official policy of the Federal Government up to that time) involved in this argument? In other words, was there forage still available after Bragg's passage to supply the Union army in its own passage, but that Buell would not allow to be confiscated?
On the other hand, how much was Halleck simply patronizing Lincoln and Stanton?