NEW ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. 23 a July 22, 1861. The National Government now acted with decision and energy. General McClellan, who, with able subordinates and brave troops, had made a brilliant and successful campaign in Western Virginia, was summoned to Washington on the day after the Battle of Bull's Run,* and, with the approbation of the people, who were loudly sounding his praises, he was placed in command of the shattered army at and near the seat of Government. General McDowell, like a true soldier, gracefully withdrew, and on the 25th of July, the Adjutant-General announced the creation of a Geographical Division, formed of the Departments of Washington and of Northeastern Virginia, under the young chieftain, with head-quarters at Washington City. July. Other changes had already been determined upon. On the 19th, an order was issued from the War Department for the honorable discharge from the service of Major-General Robert Patterson, on the 27th, when his term of duty would expire; and General N. P. Banks, then in command at Baltimore, was directed to take his place in charge of the Department of the Shenandoah, he being relieved by General John A. Dix. There was a new arrangement of Military Departments,' and Lieutenant-General Scott, who was the General-in-Chief of the armies, greatly disabled by increasing infirmities, was, at his own suggestion, relieved from active duties. General McClellan turned over the command of the army in Western Virginia to Brigadier-General Rosecrans, and entered with zeal and vigor upon the arduous task of reorganizing the army, of which he took charge on the 27th of July. He brought to the service, youth, a spotless moral character, robust health, a sound theoretical military education with some practical experience, untiring industry, the prestige of recent success in the field, and the unlimited confidence of the loyal people. He found at his disposal about fifty thousand infantry, less than one thousand cavalry, six hundred and fifty artillerymen, and thirty pieces of cannon.' He found, in the men, excellent materials out of which to fashion a fine army, but in a disorganized and comparatively crude condition. His first care was to effect a moral improvement by thorough discipline; and then, under the sanction of a recent Act of Congress, to winnow the officers of all the volunteer regiments, and dismiss all incompetents. By this process no less than three hundred officers were compelled to leave the service in the course of a few months. Having laid the moral foundations for an efficient army organization, McClellan proceeded with skill and vigor to mold his materials into perfect symmetry. He made the regiment a unit. Four regiments composed a brigade, and three brigades a division. Each division had four batteries: three served by volunteers and one by regulars; the captain of the latter commanding the entire artillery of the division. With the assistance of Majors William F. Barry and J. G. Barnard, he organized artillery and engineering establishments; and the dragoons, mounted riflemen, and cavalry 1 The counties of Washington and Alleghany, in Maryland, were added to the Department of the Shenandoah, created on the 19th of July, with head-quarters in the field; and the remainder of Maryland, and all of Pennsylvania and Delaware, constituted the Department of Pennsylvania, head-quarters at Baltimore. Board was also established at this time for the examination of all officers of volunteer regiments. 2 General McClellan's Report to the Secretary of War, August 4, 1863. A 24 THE DEFENSES OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL. were all reorganized under the general name of cavalry. To Major Barry were intrusted the details of the artillery establishment; and Major Barnard was directed to construct a system of defenses for Washington City, on both sides of the Potomac. In the course of a few months every considerable eminence in the vicinity of the National Capi tal was crowned with a fort or redoubt well mounted. Early in the following year the number of these works was fifty-two, whose names and locations are indicated on the accompanying map.' This system of works was so complete, that at no time afterward, during the war, did the Confederates ever seriously attempt to assail them. At no time was the Capital in danger from external foes. @ 1861. The work of organization was performed with such energy, that in the place of a raw and disorganized army of about fifty thousand men, in and around Washington City, at the close of July, there was, at the end of fifty days, a force of at least one hundred thousand men, well organized and officered, equipped and disciplined. Of these, full seventyfive thousand were then in a condition to be placed in column for active operations. The entire force under McClellan's command, at that time, including those under Dix, at Baltimore, was one hundred and fifty-two thou 1 According to General Orders issued by McClellan on the 30th of September, 1861, in which the nanes and locations of these forts were designated, thirty-two of thein were then completed. At the beginning of Decem. ber forty-eight were finished. THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. 25 sand men, of whom between eight and nine thousand were sick or absent. This number was continually increased, until, on the first of March, 1862, when the army was put in motion, its grand total was two hundred and twenty-two thousand, of whom about thirty thousand were sick or absent.' Such was the force with which General McClellan was furnished for the first campaign in Virginia after the Battle of Bull's Run. It was known as the GRAND ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, whose existence was a wonder. One of the most serious difficulties encountered by the Government, at the beginning of the war, was a lack of arms. We have seen how Secretary Floyd stripped the arsenals and armories in the Free-labor States, and filled those of the Slave-labor States, when preparations were making for rebellion.3 The armories at Harper's Ferry and Springfield were the principal ones on which the Government could rely for the manufacture of small arms. The former was destroyed in April, and the latter could not supply a tithe of the demand. It was necessary to send to Europe for arms; and Colonel George L. Schuyler was appointed an agent for the purpose," with specific instructions from the Secretary of War. He purchased' 116,000 rifles, 10,000 revolvers, 10,000 cavalry carbines, and 21,000 sabers, at an aggregate cost of $2,044,931. It was not long before the private and National armories of the United States were able to meet all demands. The loss of over two thousand cannon at the Gosport Navy Yard' was a serious one; but the foundries of the country soon supplied the Government with all that were required. a July 29, 1861. Of the "absent" soldiers alluded to, more than two thousand were, at the time in question, in the loathsome prisons of the Confederates, and suffering intensely from cruel treatment and privations of every kind. A large portion of these prisoners were captured at the Battle of Bull's Run. These were taken by railway to Richmond on the 23d and 24th of July. Among the first who arrived there was Alfred Ely, member of Congress from the State of New York," and Calvin Huson, his rival can 1 In a "Memorandum" which General McClellan submitted to the President, on the 4th of August, 1861, he said: "For the main army of operations, I urge the following composition: 2 "The creation of such an army," said General McClellan, “in so short a time, will hereafter be regarded as one of the highest glories of the Administration and the nation." In this organization of that army, and the discipline which it received during the seven months that it remained at Washington City and in the vicinity we may fairly look for the groundwork of those successes which it achieved long afterward, to the “glory of the Administration and the nation." 3 See volume I., page 121. Colonel Schuyler could not procure arms in England and France on his arrival, and a greater portion of them were purchased Germany. He bought 70,000 rifles in Vienna, and 27,000 in Dresden. Of the "Smallarms Association," in England, he procured 15,000 Enfield rifles. The revolvers were purchased in France and Belgium; also 10,000 cavalry carbines; and the sabers were bought in Germany. Through the interference of Confederate agents in France, the French Government would not allow any arms to be taken, by either party from its arsenals.-See Report of Colonel Schuyler to the Secretary of War, April 8, 1862. 5 See volume I., page 897. Mr. Ely was one of the civilians, mentioned in the first volume of this work (page 605), who went out as a spectator of the Battle of Bull's Run. He was captured by some South Carolina troops, who ascertained his name and position, and conducted him to their colonel, E. B. C. Cash, of South Carolina. That officer was excited by liquor, and, drawing his pistol, was about to shoot the prisoner, when the others interfered. Mr. Ely 26 NATIONAL PRISONERS IN RICHMOND. didate for the same office, accompanied by Colonel Michael Corcoran and forty other officers, and a large number of private soldiers. It was at about ten o'clock, on a moonlit evening, when they reached the city, where an immense crowd had assembled. Amid the scoffs and sometimes curses of the populace, they were marched three-fourths of a mile to Harwood's large tobacco factory, on Main Street, near Twenty-fifth Street. It was a brick building, hastily prepared for the TOBACCO WAREHOUSE PRISON. occasion. Into it officers and men were thrust, to the number of more than six hundred; and they were so closely huddled that it was difficult for any one to lie down. No doubt this was the best arrangement that could be made immediately for the unexpected captives. On the following morning the officers were waited upon by John H. Winder, a stout, gray-haired man, from Maryland, and lately a lieutenantcolonel, by brevet, in the National Army. He was now a Confederate brigadier-general, in command of the post at Richmond, and appeared for the first time on the theater of the Rebellion as Commissary-General of prisoners, in which capacity he acted throughout the war, and gained for himself the most unenviable notoriety. He promised the prisoners better quarters, and on that day the officers were removed to an adjoining building, where they had a little more room, light, and air; but neither chair nor bench to sit upon, nor bed to lie upon. For a short time they entertained hopes of a speedy release; and a considerable number of men, somewhat distinguished in the political world, visited Mr. Ely, and made abundant promises of aid, which they never fulfilled. JOHN H. WINDER. Yet there were a few persons was compelled to walk to the railway, at Manassas, about seven miles; and near Beauregard's head-quarters, he, with Corcoran and several officers, spent the night in an old barn, from which they were marched to the railway station and sent to Richmond. 1 In the Appendix to Mr. Ely's Journal, kept during his imprisonment, may be found a complete list of all the Bull's Run prisoners who were confined with him. 2 On the day after his arrival in Richmond, Mr. Ely, at the request of his fellow-prisoners, prepared a petition to the President, requesting immediate steps to be taken by the Government for their release. It was signed by the officers, and was forwarded. 3 Among these were Messrs. Keitt and Boyce, of South Carolina, and Pryor and Bocock, of Virginia, who were Mr Ely's fellow-members in the Thirty-sixth Congress, and were now occupying seats in the so-called Confederate Congress. THE ACTION OF CONGRESS. 27 in Richmond who did not only promise, but afforded all the aid in their power to the Union prisoners, at this time and ever afterwards.' The prisoners in Richmond were soon convinced that the tobacco warehouse would be their home for some time. As the days wore wearily away, their sufferings increased, for their treatment became less humane. Yet they did not yield to melancholy. There were some irrepressibly buoyant spirits among them, and every thing possible to be done to render their situation endurable, was employed. They formed a club called The Richmond Prison Association, of which Mr. Ely was made President, and at their first meeting, held on the day of organization, they were enlivened by speeches, songs, and toasts. This was the more agreeable beginning of that terrible prison-life to which tens of thousands of the National troops were exposed during the war, of which more will be recorded hereafter. a July 26, 1861. The Thirty-seventh Congress had been in session more than a fortnight when the battle of Bull's Run was fought, and they had already made several enactments preparatory to the vigorous prosecution of the war. Yet they were not unmindful of their obligations to humanity, to endeavor to secure peace by any just and honorable means. As we have observed, a resolution was introduced into the House of Representatives,' by Mr. Crittenden, declaring the sole object of the Government in waging war to be the preservation of the Union and the vindication of the National authority. It was "laid over until Monday," the 22d, and in the mean time the battle at Bull's Run was fought. Notwithstanding the National Capital was filled with fugitives from a shattered army, and it July 19. 1 Distinguished among these benefactors were Mrs. John Van Lew and her daughter. Mrs. Van Lew was an aged and wealthy widow, who lived in a fine mansion on Church Hill. Warmly devoted to the Union, and animated by the most generous impulses of humanity, these women continued, throughout the war, merciful ministrations for the comfort of the National soldiers starving and freezing in Libby prison and on Belle Isle. They suffered the most withering social proscription, and received the most vulgar abuse from the politicians and the press of Richmond. They were branded as "Southern women with Northern sympathies;" and one of the Richmond papers, with characteristic coarseness and ill-breeding, said: "If such people do not wish to be exposed and dealt with as alien enemies to their country, they would do well to cut stick while they can do so with safety to their worthless carcasses." In the same paper was a eulogy of Southern chivalry and refinement." On the lips of many a dying prisoner lingered a blessing for those “honorable women.” 2 For a full account of prison-life in this Richmond tobacco warehouse, see Ely's Journal; Lieutenant Harris's Prison Life in Richmond; Five Months in Rebeldom, or Notes from the Diary of a Bull's Run Prisoner; and General Corcoran's Captivity. Among the early prisoners was Lieutenant Isaac W. Hart, of Indiana, whose praise was on the lips of all his fellow-captives, because of his overflowing spirits, vivacity, and wit. He told funny stories and sung good songs. One composed by himself, always provoked hopeful feelings when he sang it. It was entitled "The Prisoner's Song," and its burden was the prospect of a speedy exchange. Its concluding words were:- This motto was on the seal of the Prison Association, which was drawn with a pen, and attached to each certificate of membership. The annexed copy is from a book containing the autographs of a number of the officers who were captives at that time. It may here be mentioned that Mr. Huson, who experienced the kind hospitality of Mrs. Van Lew and her family, died while in prison. Mr. Ely was afterward exchanged for Charles James Faulkner, who was the resident Minister of the Republic at the French Court when Buchanan retired from office, and who, on his return to the United States, was arrested and imprisoned under a charge of complicity in the schemes of the conspirators. See chapter xxiv., volume I. 4 See volume I., page 573. BITE ANDBE DAMNEDYO બગસ PRISON ASSOCIATION SEAL |