[221] Born in Virginia, 1807; died, 1870. Graduated at West Point, 1829; distinguished himself as engineer in Mexican War; was commandant at West Point, 1852–1855; resigned when Virginia seceded, and was appointed general in the Confederate army, April, 1861; succeeded General Johnston, May 31, 1862; commanded against McClellan in the “Seven Days’ Battles”; defeated Pope in the second battle at Bull Run; fought the drawn battle of Antietam; gained great victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville; was defeated at Gettysburg; fought stubbornly against Grant’s larger forces at the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and Cold Harbor; held out against assaults on Petersburg and Richmond till April, 1865; was obliged to surrender to Grant, April 9, 1865; became president of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, where he remained till his death.
[222] In the Seven Days’ Battles, McClellan’s loss was 15,849; Lee’s, 20,135. See Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. II., p. 315.
[223] “My paramount object in this struggle,” replied Lincoln, “is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all its slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union, and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause.”
[224] Born in New York, 1815; died, 1872. Graduated at West Point, 1839; published classic work on Elements of Military and Naval Science, 1846; was prominent in military and political affairs in California, 1846–1854; was appointed major general of the Department of Missouri, 1861; was advanced to command of the Department of the Mississippi in 1862; was made general in chief of the army, which position he held till Grant ranked him as lieutenant general; commanded the Pacific Division, 1865–1869; Division of the South, 1869–1872.
[225] Born, 1823; died, 1892. Graduated at West Point, 1842; was in Mexican War; became an explorer, and on the opening of the Civil War received a command in Maryland; captured a Confederate force at Blackwater in December, 1861; took Memphis and Island No. 10 in 1862; was advanced to command of the Army of Virginia; after defeat at second battle of Bull Run and Chantilly, was relieved of command and sent against insurgent Indians in Minnesota; was department commander till 1886; major general in 1892.
[226] General Porter’s failure to support Pope was popularly supposed to be owing to his dissatisfaction with the recall of McClellan. He was tried by court-martial and dismissed from the army. But the case was reviewed by direction of Congress, and he was acquitted in 1878, and in 1886 was restored to his army rank.
[227] McClellan reported that the force under his command numbered 87,164, but only about 60,000 were in the battle. Lee says that his own force engaged was “less than 40,000 men.” The Union losses were 13,203; the Confederate, 11,172. See Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. II., pp. 601-603.
[228] Born in Indiana, 1824; died, 1881. Graduated at West Point, 1847; led a brigade at Bull Run; commanded an expedition to Roanoke Island, February 8, 1862; commanded a corps of the Army of the Potomac at South Mountain and Antietam; succeeded McClellan in November, 1862; was disastrously defeated at Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862; was superseded by Hooker in January, 1863; was sent to defend Knoxville, Tennessee; was corps commander in Army of the Potomac till close of the war; governor of Rhode Island, 1867–1869; United States senator, 1875–1881.
[229] The Union force “available for line of battle” was 116,683; the Confederate, 78,315. The Union loss was 12,653; the Confederate, 5377. See Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. III., pp. 145-147.
[230] The records do not enable one to give the numbers so arrested. Alexander Johnston estimates the number as thirty-eight thousand. Rhodes, Vol. IV., p. 231, seems to think this number is an exaggeration, but inclines to the belief that the number may have been nearly twenty thousand.