captains of the civil war-第7章

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rmed　men　that　members　of　Congress　and　writers　in　the　press　united　in　calling　one　of　the　best　armies　the　world　had　ever　seen。　Moreover；　the　publicity　campaign　was　kept　up　unflaggingly　till　the　very　clash　of　arms　began。　Reporters　marched　along　and　sent　off　reams　of　copy。　Congressmen；　and　even　ladies；　graced　the　occasion　in　every　way　they　could。　〃The　various　regiments　were　brilliantly　uniformed　according　to　the　aesthetic　taste　of　peace；〃　wrote　General　Fry；　then　an　officer　on　McDowell's　staff；　and　〃during　the　nineteenth　and　twentieth　the　bivouacs　at　Centreville；　almost　within　cannon　range　of　the　enemy；　were　thronged　with　visitors；　official　and　unofficial；　who　came　in　carriages　from　Washington；　were　under　no　military　restraint；　and　passed　to　and　fro　among　the　troops　as　they　pleased；　giving　the　scene　the　appearance　of　a　monster　military　picnic。〃

Had　McDowell　been　able　to　attack　on　either　of　these　two　days　he　must　have　won。　But　previous　Governments　had　never　given　the　army　the　means　of　making　proper　surveys；　so　here；　within　a　day's　march　of　the　Federal　capital；　the　maps　were　worthless　for　military　use。　Information　had　to　be　gleaned　by　reconnaissance；　and　reconnaissance　takes　time；　especially　without　trustworthy　guides；　sufficient　cavalry；　and　a　proper　staff。　Moreover；　the　army　was　all　parts　and　no　whole；　through　no　fault　of　McDowell's　or　of　his　military　chiefs。　The　three…month　volunteers；　whose　term　of　service　was　nearly　over；　had　not　learned　their　drill　as　individuals　before　being　herded　into　companies；　battalions；　and　brigades；　of　course　becoming　more　and　more　inefficient　as　the　units　grew　more　and　more　complex。　Of　the　still　more　essential　discipline　they　naturally　knew　still　less。　There　was　no　lack　of　courage；　for　these　were　the　same　breed　of　men　as　those　with　whom　Washington　had　won　immortal　fame；　the　same　as　those　with　whom　both　Grant　and　Lee　were　yet　to　win　it。　But；　as　Napoleon　used　to　say；　mere　men　are　not　the　same　as　soldiers。　Nor　are　armed　mobs　the　same　as　armies。

The　short　march　to　the　front　was　both　confused　and　demoralizing。　No　American　officer　had　ever　had　the　chance　even　of　seeing；　much　less　handling；　thirty…six　thousand　men　under　arms。　This　force　was　followed　by　an　immense　and　unwieldy　train　of　supplies；　manned　by　wholly　undisciplined　civilian　drivers；　while　other；　and　quite　superfluous；　civilians　clogged　every　movement　and　made　confusion　worse　confounded。　〃The　march；〃　says　Sherman；　who　commanded　a　brigade；　〃demonstrated　little　save　the　general　laxity　of　discipline；　for；　with　all　my　personal　efforts；　I　could　not　prevent　the　men　from　straggling　for　water；　blackberries；　or　anything　on　the　way　they　fancied。〃　In　the　whole　of　the　first　long　summer's　day；　the　sixteenth　of　July；　the　army　only　marched　six　miles；　and　it　took　the　better　part　of　the　seventeenth　to　herd　its　stragglers　back　again。　〃I　wished　them；　〃　says　McDowell；　〃to　go　to　Centreville　the　second　day　＇only　another　six　miles　out＇　but　the　men　were　footweary；　not　so　much　by　the　distance　marched　as　by　the　time　they　had　been　on　foot。〃　That　observant　private；　Warren　Lee　Goss；　has　told　us　how　hard　it　is　to　soldier　suddenly。　〃My　canteen　banged　against　my　bayonet；　both　tin　cup　and　bayonet　badly　interfered　with　the　butt　of　my　musket；　while　my　cartridge…box　and　haversack　were　constantly　flopping　up　and　downthe　whole　jangling　like　loose　harness　and　chains　on　a　runaway　horse。〃　The　weather　was　hot。　The　roads　were　dusty。　And　many　a　man　threw　away　parts　of　his　kit　for　which　he　suffered　later　on。　There　was　food　in　superabundance。　But；　with　that　unwieldy　and　grossly　undisciplined　supply…and…transport　service；　the　men　and　their　food　never　came　together　at　the　proper　time。

Early　on　the　eighteenth　McDowell；　whose　own　work　was　excellent　all　through；　pushed　forward　a　brigade　against　Blackburn's　Ford；　toward　the　Confederate　right；　in　order　to　distract　attention　from　the　real　objective；　which　was　to　be　the　turning　of　the　left。　The　Confederate　outposts　fell　back　beyond　the　ford。　The　Federal　brigade　followed　on；　when　suddenly　sharp　volleys　took　it　in　front　and　flank。　The　opposing　brigade；　under　Longstreet　（of　whom　we　shall　often　hear　again）；　had　lain　concealed　and　sprung　its　trap　quite　neatly。　Most　of　the　Federals　behaved　extremely　well　under　these　untoward　circumstances。　But　one　whole　battery　and　another　whole　battalion；　whose　term　of　service　expired　that　afternoon；　were　officially　reported　as　having　〃moved　to　the　rear　to　the　sound　of　the　enemy's　cannon。〃　Thereafter；　as　military　units；　they　simply　ceased　to　exist。

At　one　o'clock　in　the　morning　of　this　same　day　Johnston　received　a　telegram　at　Winchester；　from　Richmond；　warning　him　that　McDowell　was　advancing　on　Bull　Run；　with　the　evident　intention　of　seizing　Manassas　Junction；　which　would　cut　the　Confederate　rail　communication　with　the　Shenandoah　Valley　and　so　prevent　all　chance　of　immediate　concentration　at　Bull　Run。　Johnston　saw　that　the　hour　had　come。　It　could　not　have　come　before；　as　Lee　and　the　rest　had　foreseen；　because　an　earlier　concentration　at　Bull　Run　would　have　drawn　the　two　superior　Federal　forces　together　on　the　selfsame　spot。　There　was　still　some　risk　about　giving　Patterson　the　slip。　True；　his　three…month　special…constable　array　was　semi…mutinous　already；　and　its　term　of　service　had　only　a　few　more　days　to　run。　True；　also；　that　the　men　had　cause　for　grievance。　They　were　all　without　pay；　and　some　of　them　were　reported　as　being　still　〃without　pants。〃　But；　despite　such　drawbacks；　a　resolute　attack　by　Patterson's　fourteen　thousand　could　have　at　least　held　fast　Johnston's　eleven　thousand；　who　were　mostly　little　better　off　in　military　ways。　Patterson；　however；　suffered　from　distracting　orders；　and　that　was　his　undoing。　Johnston；　admirably　screened　by　Stuart；　drew　quietly　away；　leaving　his　sick　at　Winchester　and　raising　the　spirits　of　his　whole　command　by　telling　them　that　Beauregard　was　in　danger　and　that　they　were　to　〃make　a　forced　march　to　save　the　country。〃

Straining　every　nerve　they　stepped　out　gallantly　and　covered　mile　after　mile　till　they　reached　the　Shenandoah；　forded　it；　and　crossed　the　Blue　Ridge　at　Ashby's　Gap。　But　lack　of　training　and　march　discipline　told　increasingly　against　them。　〃The　discouragement　of　that　day's　march；〃　said　Johnston；　〃is　indescribable。　Frequent　and　unreasonable　delays　caused　so　slow　a　rate　of　marching　as　to　make　me　despair　of　joining　General　Beauregard　in　time　to　aid　him。〃　Even　the　First　Brigade；　with　all　the　advantages　of　leading　the　march　and　of　having　learnt　the　rudiments　of　drill　and　discipline；　was　exhausted　by　a　day's　work　that　it　could　have　romped　through　later　on。　Jackson　himself　stood　guard　alone　till　dawn　while　all　his　soldiers　slept。

As　Jackson's　men　marched　down　to　take　the　train　at　Piedmont；　Stuart　gayly　trotted　past；　having　left　Patterson　still　in　ignorance　that　Johnston's　force　had　gone。　By　four　in　the　afternoon　of　the　nineteenth　Jackson　was　detraining　at　Manassas。　But；　as　we　shall　presently　see；　it　was　nearly　two　whole　days　before　the　last　of　Johnston's　brigades　arrived；　just　in　time　for　the　crisis　of　the　battle。　When　Johnston　had　joined　Beauregard　their　united　effective　total　was　thirty　thousand　men。　There　had　been　a　wastage　of　three　thousand。　McDowell　also　had　no　more　than　thirty　thousand　effectives　present　on　the　twenty…first；　for　he　left　one　division　at　Centreville　and　lost　the　rest　by　straggling　and　by　the　way　in　which　the　battery　and　battalion　already　mentioned　had　〃claimed　their　discharge〃　at　Blackburn's　Ford。　Throughout　the　nineteenth　and　twentieth；　while；　sorely　against　his　will；　the　Federals　were　having　their　〃monster　military　picnic〃　at　Centreville；　he　was　reconnoitering　his　constantly　increasing　enemy　under　the　greatest　difficulties；　with　his　ill…trained　staff；　bad　maps；　and　lack　of　proper　guides。

Lee　had　chosen　six　miles　of　Bull　Run　as　a　good　defensive　position。　But　Beauregard　intended　to　attack；　hoping　to　profit　by　the　Federal　disjointedness。　Consequently　none　of　the　eight　fords　were　strongly　defended　except　at　Union　Mills　on　the　extreme　right　and　the　Stone　Bridge　on　the　extreme　left；　where　the　turnpike　from　Centreville　to　Warrenton　crossed　the　Run。　Bull　Run　itself　was　a　considerable　obstacle；　having　fairly　high　banks　and　running　along　the　Confederate　front