always working with ease and exactness; and he made the reputation of a skilful organizer of armies, before he commenced the career of active commander in the field.

Meanwhile, the popular vote of Virginia having pronounced almost unanimously for secession,* and this formality having been accomplished, the State linked her destiny with the Southern Confederacy; and that government signified the appreciation of the accession of the great Commonwealth, by transferring its capital to Richmond, and making Virginia at once the administrative centre of the new power and the main seat of war. Early in June, Maj.Gen. Lee was created a full General in the Confederate service. But he was assigned to an obscure and difficult field of service; and the reader will be surprised and pained to find his reputation soon clouded by quick and grievous misfortunes.

* The aggregate of the popular vote of Virginia, on the ordinance of secession, so far as exactly known, was as follows:

There were irregular and conjectural returns from some of the counties, which probably reduced the majority to little less than a hundred thousand votes.

CHAPTER IV.

Gen. Lee sent to Northwestern Virginia.-Description of the theatre of the war.— Unfortunate military councils in Richmond.-Proclamation of Governor Letcher.A caricature of secession.-Disaster of Rich Mountain.-Gen. Lee's plans thereafter. He is foiled at Cheat Mountain.-Marches to the Kanawha Valley.Escape of Rosecrans.-Failure of Lee's Campaign.-He is abused and twitted in Richmond.-Scoffs of the Richmond "Examiner."-He is assigned to "the coast service."-Recalled to Richmond, and made "Commanding General."-This post unimportant, and scarcely honourable.

WHAT is known as Northwestern Virginia includes all that part of the State between the Ohio River and the Alleghany Mountains. It has sometimes been called the "highland region" of Virginia. But this comparative term is weak and insufficient to describe the mountainous character of the region and the extreme abruptness and intricacies of its features. The towering ridge of the Alleghanies separates it from the famous Valley of Virginia; and the county of Randolph, which holds the practicable lines of communication between the two, is cut by a series of lofty mountain ridges known as the Sewell, Rich, Cheat, Slaughter's, and Middle Mountains, which fill more than half of the county, and leave a belt of table, or plain lands, hardly ten miles broad, on its western border. There are passes through Cheat and Greenbrier Mountains (the latter being properly part of the Alleghany ridge); but it needed but an ordinary eye to see that the entire extent of this country was but little practicable for artillery and cavalry. It offered to the movements of light-armed infantry only narrow and rough roads, winding along the edges of chasms, through rugged valleys, over mountain-tops, and across the beds of streams and rivers. Through the ravines ran watercourses which, uniting, flowed away until they fell into the Tygart's Valley and Cheat Rivers, and ran northward and westward to find their way at last into the Ohio. In the spring and summer this whole mountain region was habitually visited by heavy rains, which saturated the forest cover, deluged the few open fields, and converted the road-beds into a

mixture of mud and clay impassable for artillery and baggage

wagons.

It was undoubtedly a great military errour, but one for which Gen. Lee was not responsible, to attempt the retention and occupation by the Confederate arms of a country so rugged and intricate, and so remote in its relations to the dominant campaigns of the war. It needs only a glance at the map to indicate to the observer the important fact that the communications of Northwestern Virginia were much more easy with the enemy's country than with the remainder of Virginia. The Ohio River washed its western border; the Monongahela pierced its northern boundary; and in addition to these water facilities of the enemy, two railroads, from the Ohio eastward, united at Grafton, and enabled the Federal government to pour troops rapidly into the very heart of the country. The Confederates had no access to it except by tedious mountain roads; having neither navigable river nor railroad by which to transport their troops, to compete with equal pace in the occupation of the country, and to retreat with facility in case of disaster. The true military policy appears to have been to have left the enemy in possession of Northwestern Virginia, to tolerate his advance from that direction until he involved himself in the arduous mountain roads, to tempt him to lengthen his own lines of communication, and to have awaited his attacks on the nearer side of the wilderness, where the Confederates might have adroitly transferred to him the difficulties of transportation, and concentrated with ease to crush him. The country that was to be con tested was no vital part of Virginia; it was embraced between the most populous and fanatical parts of the States of Ohio and Pennsylvania; and its resources were inconsiderable.

But the considerations we have referred to did not prevail. The policy of the military council in Richmond to hold Northwestern Virginia, and drive the enemy out of this region, originated in a mistaken generosity towards the inhabitants; proceeded from an unwillingness to leave what was supposed to be a loyal population to the oppressions of a few traitors, backed by invaders; and assumed the fact that a Confederate army would obtain there the active assistance of the people, which would be a great compensa. tion as against the superiour force of the enemy, and with respect to the topographical disadvantages of the country. It may be gene

rally described as part of the early and much-mistaken military policy of the South, to cover everything. When the Confederate Military Department took control at Richmond, it adopted towards Northwestern Virginia the view that Governor Letcher and his advisory council had already decided.

The policy and hopes of the latter are sufficiently indicated in the following proclamation of Governor Letcher, dated June 14, 1861:

"To the People of Northwestern Virginia:

"The sovereign people of Virginia, unbiassed, and by their own free choice, have, by a majority of nearly one hundred thousand qualified voters, severed the ties that heretofore bound them to the Government of the United States, and united this Commonwealth with the Confederate States. That our people have the right to institute a new Government, laying its foundations on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness,' was proclaimed by our fathers, and it is a right which no freeman should ever relinquish. The State of Virginia has now, the second time in her history, asserted this right, and it is the duty, of every Virginian to acknowledge her act when ratified by such a majority, and to give his willing cooperation to make good the declaration. All her people have voted. Each has taken his chance to have his personal views represented. You, as well as the rest of the State, have cast your vote fairly, and the majority is against you. It is the duty of good citizens to yield to the will of the State. The Bill of Rights has proclaimed 'that the people have a right to uniform government; and, therefore, that no government separate from or independent of the government of Virginia ought to be erected or established within the limits thereof.'

"The majority, thus declared, therefore have a right to govern. But notwithstanding this right, thus exercised, has been regarded by the people of all sections of the United States as undoubted and sacred, yet the Government at Washington now utterly denies it, and by the exercise of despotic power is endeavouring to coerce our people to abject submission to their authority. Virginia has asserted her independence. She will maintain it at every hazard. She is sustained by the power of ten of her sister Southern States,

ready and willing to uphold her cause. Can any true Virginian refuse to render assistance? Men of the Northwest, I appeal to you, by all the considerations which have drawn us together as one people heretofore, to rally to the standard of the Old Dominion. By all the sacred ties of consanguinity, by the intermixtures of the blood of East and West, by common paternity, by friendships hallowed by a thousand cherished recollections and memories of the past, by the relics of the great men of other days, come to Virginia's banner, and drive the invader from your soil. There may be traitors in the midst of you, who, for selfish ends, have turned against their mother, and would permit her to be ignominiously oppressed and degraded. But I cannot, will not believe that a majority of you are not true sons, who will not give your blood and your treasure for Virginia's defence.

"I have sent for your protection such troops as the emergency enabled me to collect, in charge of a competent commander. I have ordered a large force to go to your aid, but I rely with the utmost confidence upon your own strong arms to rescue your firesides and altars from the pollution of a reckless and ruthless enemy. The State is invaded at several points, but ample forces have been collected to defend her.

"The troops are posted at Huttonsville. Come with your own good weapons and meet them as brothers !

"By the Governor :

JOHN LETCHER."

It may be remarked here that the people of Northwestern Virginia did not respond to this appeal, but indicated a preference for the Federal authority, proceeded to construct a new government, and thus offered to the army from Richmond that entered this region, the aspect and character of a hostile State, and shifted the perils and disadvantages attending an invading force from the Federals to the Confederates. On the 20th August, a Convention passed an ordinance creating a new State, the boundary of which included the counties of Logan, Wyoming, Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, Webster, Randolph, Tucker, Preston, Monongahela, Marion, Taylor, Barbour, Upshur, Harrison, Lewis, Braxton, Clay, Kanawha, Boone, Wayne, Cabell, Putnam, Mason, Jackson, Roane, Calhoun, Wirt, Gilmer, Ritchie, Wood, Pleasants, Tyler, Dodd