was wrapped in the smoke of battle, and its soil stained with the blood of those who had hitherto marked it out as the land of more than ordinary prosperity. The terrible repulse of Burnside at Fredericksburg, the retreat of the army of the Mississippi, the failure of the expedition against Vicksburg, and the recapture of Galveston, all bore witness to the talent, energy, and courage of the Southern race, but the indecisive and stubborn battle at Murfreesboro, the refusal to acknowledge defeat, the energy with which reinforcements and supplies were poured forward to restore the waste of war, the resolution of crushing their antagonists by force of numbers, and the lavish expenditure of labour, showed that the people of the North were terribly in earnest, and that although they might suffer defeat in the field, might see their armies led to destruction by inefficient generals, and behold their resources wasted and their wealth dissipated by a Government composed of men who would compare unfavourably with the statesmen of Europe, yet that they were possessed of resolution such as roused the nation after the disaster of Bull Run, and were determined to oppose to the chivalry of the South, the perseverance and activity which had created and had hitherto ministered to the prosperity of the Northern States. As the struggle continued, both sides learned by the teaching of actual experience lessons in the art of war. Lee's veterans became more amenable to discipline, and his army more manageable; but experience and discipline likewise influenced the hosts of the North, and did much to counterbalance the defects which gave to the people of the South the advantage in the earlier campaigns. The more warlike character of the Confederates, the deeper sentiments which inspired them, the more brilliant

talent which led them, began to be opposed to the discipline of troops who had been taught its necessity in many defeats, and by the experience of officers who had profited by the lessons of adversity. The excitability of the American character had toned down, and a quiet determination to perform their duty, whatever it might be, and to lead their men wherever they might be ordered, characterised the officers of the Northern army. They were not actuated by those intense feelings and strong passions which animated their opponents, but they had become imbued with the esprit de corps of soldiers, and assisted as they were by almost unlimited supplies of men, and by inexhaustible stores of materiel, provided with the most approved arms, the most powerful artillery, and the fruits of the latest inventions, they organised, equipped, and disciplined powerful armies, which, if they did not achieve the brilliant fame of their less well-appointed antagonists, yet purchased with their blood solid advantages, and gradually, except in Virginia, rolled back the tide of war from the frontiers to the heart of the seceding States.

Before closing the narrative of the events of 1862, it may be conducive to a clear understanding of the position of affairs, to glance over the positions occupied by the several armies. In Virginia, either army watched its opponents from the heights overlooking the town of Fredericksburg, whilst the country between the Rappahannock and the Potomac was the scene of bold forays executed by Stuart's cavalry, which were beginning to be imitated by the Federals under Pleasanton. The Upper Potomac and Lower Shenandoah Valleys were watched by Sigel, and Western Virginia, which seemed as if destined to become the theatre of the war during its first year, had enjoyed comparative tranquillity in

1862. Kentucky was free from the presence of any large army, but was subject to the evils of guerilla warfare, as was also Missouri. The war had travelled southwards to Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. In Tennessee, Bragg opposed Rosecrans on the Duck River; in Mississippi, Johnston and Pemberton held the line of the Tallahatchie and the town of Vicksburg; whilst Grant still threatened the northern portion of the state, and M'Clernand menaced Vicksburg. In Arkansas a Federal force had reached the banks of the Arkansas River, and held Van Buren. Hindman and Marmaduke prevented a further advance, and occasionally converted defensive tactics into those of offence, threatening to carry the war back into Missouri. Texas was almost free from the presence of the Federals; but in Louisiana, the increased force brought thither by Banks, foretold a recommencement of active operations; and the presence of Farragut's fleet in the Lower Mississippi foreshadowed an attack on Port Hudson. Alabama had hitherto almost escaped the horrors of war, as had also Georgia; and Mobile and Savannah retained some appearance of their former prosperity. The inhabited portions of Florida had been desolated by incursions from the sea coast. Little, excepting the blockade of Charleston, claims attention in South Carolina, and General Forster's march into North Carolina had been productive of no change in the attitude of the belligerents.

The time of year was more favourable to the prosecution of the campaign in the south and south-west than in the northern states of the Confederacy. The deep mud of Virginia, and the rise of the rivers, presented obstacles to the renewal on either side of active operations, even if the severe struggles of the summer,

autumn, and winter of the year 1862 had not entailed some necessity for rest and reorganisation.

Notwithstanding the loss of territory in the West, respect for the power and resources of the Confederacy had greatly increased among the European nations, and the brilliant campaigns of Virginia and Maryland had raised the reputation of her armies, and spread the renown of her generals among all nations and through all classes who could appreciate self-devotion and courage on the part of the soldiery, and brilliant military qualities exemplified in their several branches, by such men as Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, and Stuart.

CHAPTER XII.

OPERATIONS ON THE SEA COAST AND ON THE MISSISSIPPI.

As the termination of the year 1862 had been especially marked by important battles, and as reaction usually follows periods of more than common activity, so during the first two months of the year 1863, there were fewer of what may be termed the grand operations of war than in the preceding month which closed 1862. During this pause opportunity offers for noticing some political events which bear indirectly on the conduct of the war. On the 1st January 1863, Mr. Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the states and portions of states in which the emancipation proclamation of the 22nd September 1862, should take effect. These were the states wherein (to quote the words of the proclamation) the people thereof respectively are this day in rebellion against the United States, to wit: 'Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana (excepting certain designated parishes), Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia (excepting the forty-eight counties of Western Virginia and certain others particularly specified).'

This proclamation was issued by Mr. Lincoln, by virtue of the power vested in him as commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for repressing the rebellion.