"General Porter is no longer in this army."
"Then General Butterfield."
"General Butterfield is no longer in this army."
I was staggered. What I was trying to do was to avoid calling for Dr. Khayme, who, I feared, would betray me through surprise. What had become of all these generals? Even General McClellan, who by bare possibility might have heard of me through General Morell, was, as I knew very well, far from this army. Certainly the war had been hard on the general officers of this Army of the Potomac. I would risk one more name.
"Then, General, I should be glad to see Colonel Blaisdell."
"What Colonel Blaisdell? What regiment?"
"Eleventh Massachusetts, sir."
General Meade looked at an officer. The officer shook his head slightly.
"Nor is Colonel Blaisdell here, my good fellow. Now I am going to ask you some questions, and I think it well to advise you to answer quickly and without many words. How do you happen to know that the colonel of the Eleventh Massachusetts is named Blaisdell?"
I did not know what to say. If I had been with General Meade alone, I should have confided in him at this moment--yet the idea again came that he would have considered me a lunatic. I had to answer quickly, so I said, "I had friends in that regiment, General."