"No."
"May I ask why you chose to give up the defenses of such a river without a blow?"
"My army was out of provisions—"
"They could have been rushed to you—"
"The ground near the Chickahominy is low and marshy. The water is bad—"
"And you have come to the very gates of the city?"
"Because the ground is dry, the water good, and we are near our supplies—"
The President's lips trembled with rage.
"And McClellan can now plant his guns within six miles and his soldiers hear our church bells on Sunday—"
"Possibly—"