[Footnote 27: On April 6, 1862, President Lincoln wrote to General McClellan as follows: "You now have over one hundred thousand troops with you, independent of General Wool's command. I think you had better break the enemy's line from Yorktown to Warwick River at once. They will probably use time as advantageously as you can."—("Report on the Conduct of the War," pp. 319, 320.)]
[Footnote 28: "Report on the Conduct of the War," p. 324.]
[Footnote 29: "Report on the Conduct of the War," pp. 323, 324.]
[Footnote 30: "Army of the Potomac," Swinton, p. 117.]
[Footnote 31: "Report on the Conduct of the War," p. 579.]
[Footnote 32: "History of the Civil War in America," Comte de Paris, vol. ii, p. 30.]
CHAPTER XXI.
A New Phase to our Military Problem.—General Johnston's Position.—
Defenses of James River.—Attack on Fort Drury.—Johnston crosses
the Chickahominy.—Position of McClellan.—Position of McDowell.—
Strength of Opposing Forces.—Jackson's Expedition down the
Shenandoah Valley.—Panic at Washington and the North.—Movements
to intercept Jackson.—His Rapid Movements.—Repulses Fremont.—
Advance of Shields.—Fall of Ashby.—Port Republic, Battle of.—
Results of this Campaign.
The withdrawal of our army to the Chickahominy, the abandonment of Norfolk, the destruction of the Virginia, and opening of the lower James River, together with the fact that McClellan's army, by changing his base to the head of York River, was in a position to cover the approach to Washington, and thus to remove the objections which had been made to sending the large force, retained for the defense of that city, to make a junction with McClellan, all combined to give a new phase to our military problem.
Soon after, General Johnston took position on the north side of the Chickahominy; accompanied by General Lee, I rode out to his headquarters in the field, in order that by conversation with him we might better understand his plans and expectations. He came in after we arrived, saying that he had been riding around his lines to see how his position could be improved. A long conversation followed, which was so inconclusive that it lasted until late in the night, so late that we remained until the next morning. As we rode back to Richmond, reference was naturally made to the conversation of the previous evening and night, when General Lee confessed himself, as I was, unable to draw from it any more definite purpose than that the policy was to improve his position as far as practicable, and wait for the enemy to leave his gunboats, so that an opportunity might be offered to meet him on the land.