captains of the civil war- 第26部分

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Executive　Mansion；　November　21；　1864。

Mrs。　Bixby；　Boston；　Massachusetts。

Dear　Madam：　I　have　been　shown　in　the　files　of　the　War　Department　a　statement　of　the　Adjutant…General　of　Massachusetts　that　you　are　the　mother　of　five　sons　who　have　died　gloriously　on　the　field　of　battle。　I　feel　how　weak　and　fruitless　must　be　any　words　of　mine　which　should　attempt　to　beguile　you　from　the　grief　of　a　loss　so　overwhelming。　But　I　cannot　refrain　from　tendering　to　you　the　consolation　that　may　be　found　in　the　thanks　of　the　Republic　they　died　to　save。　I　pray　that　our　heavenly　Father　may　assuage　the　anguish　of　your　bereavement；　and　leave　you　only　the　cherished　memory　of　the　loved　and　lost；　and　the　solemn　pride　that　must　be　yours　to　have　laid　so　costly　a　sacrifice　upon　the　altar　of　freedom。

　　　　　　　　　Yours　very　sincerely　and　respectfully；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Abraham　Lincoln。


Nor　did　the　Lincoln　touch　stop　there。　It　even　began　to　make　its　quietly　persuasive　way　among　the　finer　spirits　of　the　South　from　the　very　day　on　which　the　Second　Inaugural　closed　with　words　which　were　the　noblest　consummation　of　the　prophecy　made　in　the　First。　This　was　the　prophecy：　〃The　mystic　chords　of　memory；　stretching　from　every　battlefield　and　patriot　grave　to　every　living　heart　and　hearthstone；　all　over　this　broad　land；　will　yet　swell　the　chorus　of　the　Union；　when　again　touched；　as　surely　they　will　be；　by　the　better　angels　of　our　nature。〃　And　this　the　consummation　〃With　malice　toward　none；　with　charity　for　all；　with　firmness　in　the　right；　as　God　gives　us　to　see　the　right；　let　us　strive　on　to　finish　the　work　we　are　in；　to　bind　up　the　nation's　wounds；　to　care　for　him　who　shall　have　borne　the　battle　and　for　his　widow　and　his　orphanto　do　all　which　may　achieve　and　cherish　a　just　and　lasting　peace　among　ourselves　and　with　all　nations。〃



CHAPTER　VI。　LEE　AND　JACKSON：　1862…3

Most　Southerners　remained　spellbound　by　the　glamour　of　Bull　Run　till　the　hard；　sharp　truths　of　'62　began　to　rouse　them　from　their　flattering　dream。　They　fondly　hoped；　and　even　half　believed；　that　if　another　Northern　army　dared　to　invade　Virginia　it　would　certainly　fail　against　their　entrenchments　at　Bull　Run。　If；　so　ran　the　argument；　the　North　failed　in　the　open　field　it　must　fail　still　worse　against　a　fortified　position。

The　Southern　generals　vainly　urged　their　Government　to　put　forth　its　utmost　strength　at　once；　before　the　more　complex　and　less　united　North　had　time　to　recover　and　begin　anew。　They　asked　for　sixty　thousand　men　at　Bull　Run；　to　be　used　for　a　vigorous　counterstroke　at　Washington。　They　pointed　out　the　absurdity　of　misusing　the　Bull　Run　（or　Manassas）　position　as　a　mere　shield；　fixed　to　one　spot；　instead　of　making　it　the　hilt　of　a　sword　thrust　straight　at　the　heart　of　the　North。　Robert　E。　Lee；　now　a　full　general　in　the　Confederate　Army　and　adviser　to　the　President；　grasped　the　whole　situation　from　the　first　and　urged　the　right　solution　in　the　official　way。　Stonewall　Jackson；　still　a　junior　general；　was　in　full　accord　with　Lee；　as　we　know　from　the　confidential　interview　（at　the　end　of　October；　'61）　between　him　and　his　divisional　commander；　General　G。　W。　Smith；　who　made　it　public　many　years　later。　The　gist　of　Jackson's　argument　was　this：　〃McClellan　won't　come　out　this　year　with　his　army　of　recruits。　We　ought　to　invade　now；　not　wait　to　be　invaded　later　on。　If　Davis　would　concentrate　every　man　who　can　be　spared　from　all　other　points　and　let　us　invade　before　winter　sets　in；　then　McClellan's　recruits　couldn't　stand　against　us　in　the　field。Let　us　cross　the　upper　Potomac；　occupy　Baltimore；　and；　holding　Maryland；　cut　the　communications　of　Washington；　force　the　Federal　Government　out　of　it；　beat　McClellan　if　he　attacks；　destroy　industrial　plants　liable　to　be　turned　to　warlike　ends；　cut　the　big　commercial　lines　of　communication；　close　the　coal　mines；　seize　the　neck　of　land　between　Pittsburg　and　Lake　Erie；　live　on　the　country　by　requisition；　and　show　the　North　what　it　would　cost　to　conquer　the　South。〃　On　asking　Smith　if　he　agreed；　Smith　answered：　〃I　will　tell　you　a　secret；　for　I　am　sure　it　won't　be　divulged。　These　views　were　rejected　by　the　Government　during　the　conference　at　Fairfax　Court　House　at　the　beginning　of　the　month。〃　Jackson　thereupon　shook　Smith's　hand；　saying；　〃I　am　sorry；　very　sorry；〃　and；　mounting　Little　Sorrel　without　another　word；　rode　sadly　away。

Jefferson　Davis　probably；　and　some　of　his　Cabinet　possibly；　understood　what　Lee；　〃Joe〃　Johnston；　Beauregard；　Smith；　and　Jackson　so　strongly　urged。　But　they　feared　the　outcry　that　would　assuredly　be　raised　by　people　in　districts　denuded　of　troops　for　the　grand　concentration　elsewhere。　So　they　remained　passive　when　they　should　have　been　active；　and；　trying　to　strengthen　each　separate　part；　fatally　weakened　the　whole。

Meanwhile　the　North　was　collecting　the　different　elements　of　warlike　force　and　changing　its　Secretary　of　War。　Cameron　was　superseded　by　Stanton　on　the　fifteenth　of　January。　Twelve　days　later　Lincoln　issued　the　first　of　those　military　orders　which；　as　we　have　just　seen；　he　afterwards　told　Grant　that　the　impatience　of　the　loyal　North　compelled　him　to　issue；　though　he　knew　some　were　certainly；　and　all　were　possibly；　wrong。　This　first　order　was　one　of　the　certainly　wrong。　McClellan's　unready　masses　were　to　begin　an　unlimited　mud　march　through　the　early　spring。　roads　of　Virginia　on　the　twenty…second　of　February；　in　honor　of　Washington's　birthday。　A　reconnoitering　staff　officer　reported　the　roads　as　being　in　their　proper　places；　but　he　guessed　the　bottom　had　fallen　out。　So　McClellan　was　granted　some　delay。

His　grand　total　was　now　over　two　hundred　thousand　men。　The　Confederate　grand　total　was　estimated　at　a　hundred　and　fifteen　thousand　by　the　civilian　detectives　whom　the　Federal　Government　employed　to　serve　in　place　of　an　expert　intelligence　staff。　The　detective　estimate　was　sixty…five　thousand　men　out。　The　real　Confederate　strength　at　this　time　was　only　fifty　thousand。　There　was　little　chance　of　getting　true　estimates　in　any　other　way；　as　the　Federal　Government　had　no　adequate　cavalry。　Most　of　the　few　cavalry　McClellan　commanded　were　as　yet　a　mere　collection　of　men　and　horses；　quite　unfit　for　reconnoitering　and　testing　an　enemy's　force。

McClellan's　own　plan；　formed　on　the　supposition　that　the　Confederates　held　the　Bull　Run　position　with　at　least　a　hundred　thousand　men；　involved　the　transfer　of　a　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　Federals　by　sea　from　Washington　to　Fortress　Monroe；　on　the　historic　peninsula　between　the　York　and　James　rivers。　Then；　using　these　rivers　as　lines　of　communication；　his　army　would　take　Richmond　in　flank。　Lincoln's　objection　to　this　plan　was　based　on　the　very　significant　argument　that　while　the　Federal　army　was　being　transported　piecemeal　to　Fortress　Monroe　the　Confederates　might　take　Washington　by　a　sudden　dash　from　their　base　at　Centreville；　only　thirty　miles　off。　This　was　a　valid　objection；　for　Washington　was　not　only　the　Federal　Headquarters　but　the　very　emblem　of　the　Union　causea　sort　of　living　Stars　and　Stripesand　Washington　lost　might　well　be　understood　to　mean　almost　the　same　as　if　the　Ship　of　State　had　struck　her　colors。

On　the　ninth　of　March　the　immediate　anxiety　about　Washington　was　relieved。　That　day　came　news　that　the　Monitor　had　checkmated　the　Merrimac　in　Hampton　Roads　and　that　〃Joe〃　Johnston　had　withdrawn　his　forces　from　the　Bull　Run　position　and　had　retired　behind　the　Rappahannock　to　Culpeper。　On　the　tenth　McClellan　began　a　reconnoitering　pursuit　of　Johnston　from　Washington。　Having　found　burnt　bridges　and　other　signs　of　decisive　retirement；　he　at　last　persuaded　the　reluctant　Lincoln　to　sanction　the　Peninsula　Campaign。　On　the　seventeenth　his　army　began　embarking　for　Fortress　Monroe；　ten　thousand　men　at　a　time；　that　being　all　the　transports　could　carry。　For　a　week　the　movement　of　troops　went　on　successfully；　while　the　Confederates　could　not　make　out　what　was　happening　along　the　coast。　Everything　also　seemed　quite　safe；　from　the　Federal　point　of　view；　in　the　Shenandoah　Valley；　where　General　Banks　commanded。　And　both　there　and　along　the　Potomac　the　Federals　were　in　apparently　overwhelming　strength；　even　though　the　detectives　doing　duty　as　staff　officers　still　kept　on　doubling　the　numbers　of　all　the　Confederates　under　arms。

Suddenly；　on　the　twenty…third；　a　fight　at　Kernstown　in　the　Shenandoah　Valley　gave　a　serious　shock　to　the　victorious　Federals；　not　only　there　but　all　over　the　semicircle　of　invasion；　from　West　Virginia　round　by　the　Potomac　and　down　to　Fortress　Monroe。　The　fighting　on　both　sides　was　magnificent。　Yet　Kernstown　itself　was　a　very　small　affair。　Little　more　than　ten　thousand　men　had　been　in　action：　seven　thousand　Federals　under　Shields　against　half　as　many　Confederates　under　Stonewall　Jackson。　The　point　is　that　Jackson's　attack；　though　unsuccessful；　was　very　disconcerting　elsewhere。　From　Kernstown　the　area　of　disturbance　spread　like　wildfire　till　the　tactical　victory　of　seven　thousand　Federals　had　spoilt　the　strategy　of　thirty　times　as　many。　Shields　reported：　〃I　set　to　work　during　the　night　to　bring　together　all　the　troops　within　my　reach。　I　sent　an　express　after　Williams's　division；　requesting　the　rear　brigade；　about　twenty　miles　distant；