Starke, Jim gave me a pretty good promotion when he told you who I was. I am a Park Ranger with the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, a unit of Shiloh National Military Park. The title of Chief Historian belongs to my boss up at Shiloh and I don't think he wants to give it up yet.
My intrest with A.J. Smith concerns his operations in Tennessee and Mississippi during June and July of 1864; The Harrisburg (Tupelo) Campaign. I have been gathering materials for several years and am nearing completion of a book on the subject.
Smith's "Guerillas" laid a heavy hand on North Mississippi, as they did in Louisiana during the Red River Campaign. As the commanding officer of the Union forces he bears the full responsibility of the burnings of several communities during this campaign, especially Ripley and to a lesser extent New Albany, Pontotoc and Harrisburg, though the latter was pretty much abandoned before the war. Right or wrong he was actually under orders from Sherman and McPherson to come down hard on civilians who had been aiding Forrest. Contradictions surround the man. There is one story about him getting violently mad when he learned of his men looting a home in Jackson, TN, and later put the officer involved on trial (found guilty). Another story about him claims he was cheering his men on while Alexandria, La, burned.
I have read several contemporary articles describing Smith as either an alcoholic or at least frequently drunk. I can not, however, find any period writing (other than the one first mentioned) that connect him with any drinking. Most Confederate accounts which mention him actually speak highly of the man.
Concerning the burning and looting which occured during this campaign I would reccomend the diary of Chaplain Edwin Edwards of the 7th Minnesota Infantry. He was in the army for a mere week before setting off on the campaign and his lengthy entries discuss in great detail the looting and burning. It affected him deeply and he made a fascinating colored pencil sketch of a burning house on the Pontotoc Road. He could not understand the violence to civilians and yet points out twice they were all under strict orders from Smith not to burn any structures.
Smith and Forrest are fascinating individuals, never what you would call boring.
All the best,
Tom