north america-2-第7章

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ary　pass；　not　to　be　obtained　without　some　cause　given。　　All　trade　was　at　an　end。　　In　no　town　at　that　time　was　trade　very　flourishing；　but　here　it　was　killed　altogetherexcept　that　absolutely　necessary　trade　of　bread。　　Who　would　buy　boots　or　coats；　or　want　new　saddles；　or　waste　money　on　books；　in　such　days　as　these；　in　such　a　town　as　Alexandria？　　And　then　out　of　1500　men；　one…half　had　gone　to　fight　the　Southern　battles！　　Among　the　women　of　Alexandria　secession　would　have　found　but　few　opponents。　It　was　here　that　a　hot…brained　young　man；　named　Ellsworth；　was　killed　in　the　early　days　of　the　rebellion。　　He　was　a　colonel　in　the　Northern　volunteer　army；　and　on　entering　Alexandria　found　a　secession　flag　flying　at　the　chief　hotel。　　Instead　of　sending　up　a　corporal's　guard　to　remove　it；　he　rushed　up　and　pulled　it　down　with　his　own　hand。　　As　he　descended；　the　landlord　shot　him　dead；　and　one　of　his　soldier's　shot　the　landlord　dead。　　It　was　a　pity　that　so　brave　a　lad；　who　had　risen　so　high；　should　fall　so　vainly；　but　they　have　made　a　hero　of　him　in　America；　have　inscribed　his　name　on　marble　monuments；　and　counted　him　up　among　their　great　men。　　In　all　this　their　mistake　is　very　great。　　It　is　bad　for　a　country　to　have　no　names　worthy　of　monumental　brass；　but　it　is　worse　for　a　country　to　have　monumental　brasses　covered　with　names　which　have　never　been　made　worthy　of　such　honor。　　Ellsworth　had　shown　himself　to　be　brave　and　foolish。　　Let　his　folly　be　pardoned　on　the　score　of　his　courage；　and　there；　I　think；　should　have　been　an　end　of　it。　I　found　afterward　that　Mount　Vernon　was　accessible；　and　I　rode　thither　with　some　officers　of　the　staff　of　General　Heintzelman；　whose　outside　pickets　were　stationed　beyond　the　old　place。　　I　certainly　should　not　have　been　well　pleased　had　I　been　forced　to　leave　the　country　without　seeing　the　house　in　which　Washington　had　lived　and　died。　　Till　lately　this　place　was　owned　and　inhabited　by　one　of　the　family；　a　Washington；　descended　from　a　brother　of　the　general's；　but　it　has　now　become　the　property　of　the　country；　under　the　auspices　of　Mr。　Everett；　by　whose　exertions　was　raised　the　money　with　which　it　was　purchased。　　It　is　a　long　house；　of　two　stories；　built；　I　think；　chiefly　of　wood；　with　a　veranda；　or　rather　long　portico；　attached　to　the　front；　which　looks　upon　the　river。　　There　are　two　wings；　or　sets　of　outhouses；　containing　the　kitchen　and　servants'　rooms；　which　were　joined　by　open　wooden　verandas　to　the　main　building；　but　one　of　these　verandas　has　gone；　under　the　influence　of　years。　　By　these　a　semicircular　sweep　is　formed　before　the　front　door；　which　opens　away　from　the　river；　and　toward　the　old　prim　gardens；　in　which；　we　were　told；　General　Washington　used　to　take　much　delight。　　There　is　nothing　very　special　about　the　house。　Indeed；　as　a　house；　it　would　now　be　found　comfortless　and　inconvenient。　　But　the　ground　falls　well　down　to　the　river；　and　the　timber；　if　not　fine；　is　plentiful　and　picturesque。　　The　chief　interest　of　the　place；　however；　is　in　the　tomb　of　Washington　and　his　wife。　　It　must　be　understood　that　it　was　a　common　practice　throughout　the　States　to　make　a　family　burying…ground　in　any　secluded　spot　on　the　family　property。　　I　have　not　unfrequently　come　across　these　in　my　rambles；　and　in　Virginia　I　have　encountered　small；　unpretending　gravestones　under　a　shady　elm；　dated　as　lately　as　eight　or　ten　years　back。　　At　Mount　Vernon　there　is　now　a　cemetery　of　the　Washington　family；　and　there；　in　an　open　vaulta　vault　open；　but　guarded　by　iron　gratingis　the　great　man's　tomb；　and　by　his　side　the　tomb　of　Martha　his　wife。　　As　I　stood　there　alone；　with　no　one　by　to　irritate　me　by　assertions　of　the　man's　absolute　supremacy；　I　acknowledged　that　I　had　come　to　the　final　resting…place　of　a　great　and　good　man；of　a　man　whose　patriotism　was；　I　believe；　an　honest　feeling；　untinged　by　any　personal　ambition　of　a　selfish　nature。　　That　he　was　pre…eminently　a　successful　man　may　have　been　due　chiefly　to　the　excellence　of　his　cause；　and　the　blood　and　character　of　the　people　who　put　him　forward　as　their　right　arm　in　their　contest；　but　that　he　did　not　mar　that　success　by　arrogance；　or　destroy　the　brightness　of　his　own　name　by　personal　aggrandizement；　is　due　to　a　noble　nature　and　to　the　calm　individual　excellence　of　the　man。　Considering　the　circumstances　and　history　of　the　place；　the　position　of　Mount　Vernon；　as　I　saw　it；　was　very　remarkable。　　It　lay　exactly　between　the　lines　of　the　two　armies。　　The　pickets　of　the　Northern　army　had　been　extended　beyond　it；　not　improbably　with　the　express　intention　of　keeping　a　spot　so　hallowed　within　the　power　of　the　Northern　government。　　But　since　the　war　began　it　had　been　in　the　hands　of　the　seceders。　　In　fact；　it　stood　there　in　the　middle　of　the　battle…field；　on　the　very　line　of　division　between　loyalism　and　secession。　　And　this　was　the　spot　which　Washington　had　selected　as　the　heart　and　center；　and　safest　rallying　homestead　of　the　united　nation　which　he　left　behind　him。　　But　Washington；　when　he　resolved　to　found　his　capital　on　the　banks　of　the　Potomac；　knew　nothing　of　the　glories　of　the　Mississippi。　　He　did　not　dream　of　the　speedy　addition　to　his　already　gathered　constellations　of　those　Western　starsof　Wisconsin；　Illinois；　Minnesota；　and　Iowa；　nor　did　he　dream　of　Texas　conquered；　Louisiana　purchased；　and　Missouri　and　Kansas　rescued　from　the　wilderness。　I　have　said　that　Washington　was　at　that　timethe　Christmas　of　1861…　62a　melancholy　place。　　This　was　partly　owing　to　the　despondent　tone　in　which　so　many　Americans　then　spoke　of　their　own　affairs。　　It　was　not　that　the　Northern　men　thought　that　they　were　to　be　beaten；　or　that　the　Southern　men　feared　that　things　were　going　bad　with　their　party　across　the　river；　but　that　nobody　seemed　to　have　any　faith　in　anybody。　　McClellan　had　been　put　up　as　the　true　man　exalted　perhaps　too　quickly；　considering　the　limited　opportunities　for　distinguishing　himself　which　fortune　had　thrown　in　his　way；　but　now　belief　in　McClellan　seemed　to　be　slipping　away。　　One　felt　that　it　was　so　from　day　to　day；　though　it　was　impossible　to　define　how　or　whence　the　feeling　came。　　And　then　the　character　of　the　ministry　fared　still　worse　in　public　estimation。　　That　Lincoln；　the　President；　was　honest；　and　that　Chase；　the　Secretary　of　the　Treasury；　was　able；　was　the　only　good　that　one　heard　spoken。　　At　this　time　two　Jonahs　were　specially　pointed　out　as　necessary　sacrifices；　by　whose　immersion　into　the　comfortless　ocean　of　private　life　the　ship　might　perhaps　be　saved。　　These　were　Mr。　Cameron；　the　Secretary　of　War；　and　Mr。　Welles；　the　Secretary　of　the　Navy。　　It　was　said　that　Lincoln；　when　pressed　to　rid　his　cabinet　of　Cameron；　had　replied；　that　when　a　man　was　crossing　a　stream　the　moment　was　hardly　convenient　for　changing　his　horse；　but　it　came　to　that　at　last；　that　he　found　he　must　change　his　horse；　even　in　the　very　sharpest　run　of　the　river。　　Better　that　than　sit　an　animal　on　whose　exertions　he　knew　that　he　could　not　trust。　　So　Mr。　Cameron　went；　and　Mr。　Stanton　became　Secretary　of　War　in　his　place。　　But　Mr。　Cameron；　though　put　out　of　the　cabinet；　was　to　be　saved　from　absolute　disgrace　by　being　sent　as　Minister　to　Russia。　　I　do　not　know　that　it　would　become　me　here　to　repeat　the　accusations　made　against　Mr。　Cameron；　but　it　had　long　seemed　to　me　that　the　maintenance　in　such　a　position；　at　such　a　time；　of　a　gentleman　who　had　to　sustain　such　a　universal　absence　of　public　confidence；　must　have　been　most　detrimental　to　the　army　and　to　the　government。　Men　whom　one　met　in　Washington　were　not　unhappy　about　the　state　of　things；　as　I　had　seen　men　unhappy　in　the　North　and　in　the　West。　They　were　mainly　indifferent；　but　with　that　sort　of　indifference　which　arises　from　a　break　down　of　faith　in　anything。　　〃There　was　the　army！　　Yes；　the　army！　　But　what　an　army！　　Nobody　obeyed　anybody。　Nobody　did　anything！　　Nobody　thought　of　advancing！　　There　were；　perhaps；　two　hundred　thousand　men　assembled　round　Washington；　and　now　the　effort　of　supplying　them　with　food　and　clothing　was　as　much　as　could　be　accomplished！　　But　the　contractors；　in　the　mean　time；　were　becoming　rich。　　And　then　as　to　the　government！　　Who　trusted　it？　Who　would　put　their　faith　in　Seward　and　Cameron？　　Cameron　was　now　gone；　it　was　true；　and　in　that　way　the