o'clock A.M., upon the fourth day after we left Staunton; but only remained there whilst we were getting passes from the provost-marshal, without which we could not have left the town, as there are guards upon all the roads to prevent any one from passing in or out without written permission. The convoy then proceeded on to General Lee's headquarters, which were close to the Martinsburg road, and about six miles from Winchester; and having presented our letters to the Adjutant-General, we were in turn presented to the Commanderin-Chief. He is a strongly built man, about five feet eleven in height, and apparently not more than fifty years of age. His hair and beard are nearly white; but his dark brown eyes still shine with all the brightness of youth, and beam with a most pleasing expression. Indeed, his whole face is kindly and benevolent in the highest degree. In manner, though sufficiently conversible, he is slightly reserved; but he is a person that, wherever seen, whether in a castle or a hovel, alone or in a crowd, must at once attract attention as being a splendid specimen of an English gentleman, with one of the most rarely handsome faces I ever saw. He had had a bad fall during the Maryland expedition, from which he was not yet recovered, and which still crippled his right hand considerably. We sat with him for a long time in his tent, conversing upon a variety of topics, the state of public affairs being of course the leading one. He talked most freely about the battle of Antietam, and assured us that at no time during that day's fight had he more than thirtyfive thousand men engaged. You have only to be in his society for a very brief period to be convinced that whatever he says may be implicitly relied upon, and that he is quite incapable of departing from the truth under any circumstances. From what I subsequently learned from others, I believe that the Confederates never numbered more than about sixty-five or seventy thousand men in Maryland, and that, owing to the hurried marches Lee and Jackson had made before the battle, nearly one-half of their men were scattered over the country in their rear, unable to get up in time from sore feet occasioned by want of shoes or boots. As is so frequently the case in war, the different events did not occur at the periods calculated on. For instance, Harper's Ferry, the capture of which was one of the chief objects to be gained by crossing the Potomac, held out two days longer than was expected, which prevented Jackson from joining the main army as soon as he should otherwise have done; and when at last he did reach General Lee's column, it was only by a harassing march, which reduced his strength considerably, as the shoeless men could not keep up with the others. It furthermore obliged Lee to fall back from the advanced position he had taken up for the purpose of covering Jackson's operations, and approach nearer the point on the Potomac where he had determined to recross that river in the event of affairs not turning out satisfactorily. But there was also another matter regarding which the Confederate commander was at fault in his calculations. The disorganised mob under General Pope's command, whom he had lately seen flying before his own victorious troops more like scared sheep than soldiers, had rallied under M'Clellan with a rapidity which filled him with amazement, and not only opposed a formidable front, but actually reassumed the offensive. From the accounts of those who saw Pope's army return to the Potomac after the second battle of Manassas, I do not believe that any one would have thought it possible that such a disorganised rabble could have been placed in line of battle so soon. But M'Clellan seemed to possess the wand of the enchanter on that occasion. It is generally opposite Washington. Officers and men cursed the Government which had handed them over to the reckless guidance of such men as Pope and Macdowall. The soldiers were calling for General M'Clellan to command them; and, incapable as they were of defending their frontier from hostile invasion, they were powerful enough to have crossed into Washington, and, overturning the vile faction which sits there in the name of a government, to have proclaimed M'Clellan dictator. Such a line of conduct was openly talked of, and many of the best informed men now believe that it would have actually been carried into execution, had not Mr Lincoln called back the favourite to command the Union armies in defence of the empire's capital. The news of his reappointment was received by the army with enthusiasm, and as all the regiments filed through Washington, they insisted upon marching past M'Clellan's house, and cheering vociferously for their new commander as they did so. stated that the Confederate authorities calculated upon a rising in Maryland directly their army entered that State. Nevertheless, everybody to whom I spoke on the subject ridiculed the idea of ever having thought that any such rising would take place, until either Baltimore was in their hands, or they had at least established a position in that country, as it was well known that the inhabitants of Washington and Frederick counties were far from being unanimous in their opinions, and that in many districts there the Unionists were considerably in the majority. The city of Washington was saved to the Union by the reappointment of General M'Clellan as Commander-in-Chief of the army. There is no other Federal general who could have fought the battle of Antietam. Hero-worship seems to be inherent in human nature generally, it is true, but for such armies as those in America an idol is indispensable. No man has yet shown himself capable of leading them to victory, so they have agreed to fall Owing to M'Clellan's late disdown before the image set up by astrous campaign in the peninsula, the press a Napoleon without and the well-known jealousy of glory, and a Fabius without success. Staunton, Seward, and Halleck on M'Clellan, a man of retiring dis- account of the army's attachment position and agreeable manners, to him, his recall was deemed an with a talent for organisation, has event so improbable that, when it succeeded in making himself so be- did occur, the Confederate general's loved by his armies, that no amount plan of campaign was utterly disof failure or defeat has as yet arranged in consequence. Howshaken their confidence in him. ever, when the results of the expeAfter his return from Harrison's dition into Maryland are calmly Landing he had been placed by the reviewed, they will be found to Lincoln clique in "command of have been highly favourable for the the troops around Washington, not Southern cause. Fourteen thouotherwise disposed of," which vir- sand men made prisoners-over tually gave him command of only fifty guns and an immense quantity one hundred and eighty men. In of ammunition and stores captured other words, he was put on the together with the fact of having shelf, the vainglorious Pope being fought with thirty-five thousand appointed to reign in his stead. But when the news of Lee having crossed the Potomac reached Mr Lincoln, he and his advisers were, as might be expected, at their wits' end. A mutinous rabble thronged the streets of Alexandria, and strolled at pleasure along the heights - men a decidedly drawn battle, without loss in guns or prisoners, against a force of ninety thousand men-are not only circumstances to be remembered with pride, but also fruitful in substantial advantages. Towards the close of that eventful day, many of the Confederate regi ments were without a round of ammunition, and held their position solely by the moral weight which the formidable front they showed the enemy gave them. General Longstreet assured me that, towards evening, if he had had even five thousand fresh men, he must have annihilated M'Clellan's army; but his men were exhausted by their long marches for many days previous, and but few of them had any ammunition. The Federal cavalry had escaped from Harper's Ferry when the infantry there surrendered; and when en route to join their main army, they happened by chance to cut in upon General Lee's line of waggons, just at the point where those with the reserve ammunition were. The baggage-guard were all massed in front, so the Federals were thus enabled to carry off or destroy about forty carts. During the night a small reinforcement reached the army, which enabled General Lee to halt all the day following upon the same ground he had held the day before, and offer his opponent battle again a challenge that M'Clellan did not feel himself sufficiently strong to accept. Such are the general outlines of the Maryland expedition, gathered from the generals and other Confederate officers to whom I have spoken on the subject. In visiting the headquarters of the Confederate generals, but particularly those of General Lee, any one accustomed to see European armies in the field cannot fail to be struck with the great absence of all the pomp and circumstance of war in and around their encampments. Lee's headquarters consisted of about seven or eight pole tents, pitched with their backs to a stake fence, upon a piece of ground so rocky that it was unpleasant to ride over it-its only recommendation being a little stream of good water which flowed close by the General's tent. In front of the tents were some three or four wheeled waggons, drawn up without any regularity, and a number of horses roamed loose about the field. The servants, who were of course slaves, and the mounted soldiers called "couriers," who always accompany each general of division in the field, were unprovided with tents, and slept in or under the waggons. Waggons, tents, and some of the horses, were marked U. S., showing that part of that huge debt in the North has gone to furnishing even the Confederate generals with camp equipments. No guard or sentries were to be seen in the vicinity; no crowd of aides-de-camp loitering about, making themselves agreeable to visitors, and endeavouring to save their generals from receiving those who have no particular business. A large farm - house stands close by, which, in any other army, would have been the general's residence, pro tem.: but as no liberties are allowed to be taken with personal property in Lee's army, he is particular in setting a good example himself. His staff are crowded together two and three in a tent: none are allowed to carry more baggage than a small box each, and his own kit is but very little larger. Every one who approaches him does so with marked respect, although there is none of that bowing and flourishing of forage-caps which occurs in the presence of European generals: and whilst all honour him and place implicit faith in his courage and ability, those with whom he is most intimate feel for him the affection of sons to a father. Old General Scott was correct in saying that when Lee joined the Southern cause, it was worth as much as the accession of 20,000 men to the "rebels." Since then, every injury that it was possible to inflict, the Northerners have heaped upon him. His house on the Pamunky river was burnt to the ground and the slaves carried away, many of them by force; whilst his residence on the Arlington Heights was not only gutted of its furniture, but even the very relics of George Washington were stolen from it and paraded in triumph in the saloons of New York and Boston. Notwithstanding all these personal losses, however, when speaking of the Yankees, he neither evinced any bitterness of feeling, nor gave utterance to a single violent expression, but alluded to many of his former friends and companions amongst them in the kindest terms. He spoke as a man proud of the victories won by his country, and confident of ultimate success under the blessing of the Almighty, whom he glorified for past successes, and whose aid he invoked for all future operations. He regretted that his limited supply of tents and available accommodation would prevent him from putting us up, but he kindly placed at our disposal horses, or a twohorsed waggon, if we preferred it, to drive about in. Upon leaving him, we drove to Bunker's Hill, six miles nearer Martinsburg, at which place Stonewall Jackson, now of world-wide celebrity, had his headquarters. With him we spent a most pleasant hour, and were agreeably surprised to find him very affable, having been led to expect that he was silent and almost morose. Dressed in his grey uniform, he looks the hero that he is; and his thin compressed lips and calm glance, which meets yours unflinchingly, give evidence of that firmness and decision of character for which he is so famous. He has a broad open forehead, from which the hair is well brushed back; a shapely nose, straight, and rather long; thin colourless cheeks, with only a very small allowance of whisker; a cleanly-shaven upper lip and chin; and a pair of fine greyish-blue eyes, rather sunken, with overhanging brows, which intensify the keenness of his gaze, but without imparting any fierceness to it. Such are the general characteristics of his face; and I have only to add, that a smile seems always lurking about his mouth when he speaks; and that though his voice partakes slightly of that harshness which Europeans unjustly attribute to all Americans, there is much unmistakable cordiality in his manner and to us he talked most affectionately of England, and of his brief but enjoyable sojourn there. The religious element seems strongly developed in him; and though his conversation is perfectly free from all puritanical cant, it is evident that he is a person who never loses sight of the fact that there is an omnipresent Deity ever presiding over the minutest occurrences of life, as well as over the most important. Altogether, as one of his soldiers said to me in talking of him, "he is a glorious fellow!" and, after I left him, I felt that I had at last solved the mystery of Stonewall Bridge, and discovered why it was that it had accomplished such almost miraculous feats. With such a leader men would go anywhere, and face any amount of difficulties; and for myself, I believe that, inspired by the presence of such a man, I should be perfectly insensible to fatigue, and reckon upon success as a moral certainty. Whilst General Lee is regarded in the light of infallible Jove, a man to be reverenced, Jackson is loved and adored with all that childlike and trustful affection which the ancients are said to have lavished upon the particular deity presiding over their affairs. The feeling of the soldiers for General Lee resembles that which Wellington's troops entertained for him-namely, a fixed and unshakable faith in all he did, and a calm confidence of victory when serving under him. But Jackson, like Napoleon, is idolised with that intense fervour which, consisting of mingled personal attachment and devotel loyalty, causes them to meet death for his sake, and bless him when dying. Having left Bunker's Hill towards sundown, we returned to Winchester, which we intended to make our headquarters during our stay in the front. It was a dark and rainy evening when we drove up to the inn, where as usual no accommodation was to be had: but a hospitable lady kindly took us in, and entertained us during our stay in that place. The town is very old-that is, of course, in comparison with others in the State-and ordinarily contains about 6000 inhabitants. But whilst we were there, their number far exceeded that, as there were large hospitals filled with wounded men from the Maryland expedition, and a number of soldiers were attached to the military establishments fixed in the place. As to trade there was none, every thing almost having been long since bought up from all the shops, and few civilians were to be seen in the streets. The Federals, when bolting from it, had blown up a magazine on the outskirts, which set fire to some houses, and thus destroyed a considerable portion of the town. They had also, during their stay there, pulled to pieces many dwellings from which the proprietors had fled on their approach. Mr Mason, the deputed representative of the Confederate States in England, possessed a good substantial residence, in what is, I suppose, called the suburbs, and upon it the Northerners poured out the vials of their wrath to such an extent that it is now merely a shell-the floors, windows, and doors having been torn away and destroyed. The streets are paved, and used to be lit with gas. To the north-west of the place is a ridge of hills, upon which the Federals had erected several redoubts, connecting them by a line of trenches. One was a large work intended to mount about ten guns. They had never been finished, either from want of time, or from their uselessness having been discovered, as a line of hills which runs parallel to that upon which they had been laid out commanded them within easy cannon-shot. Indeed, so exposed is the position, that the fact of the works ever having been commenced in such a place, speaks very poorly for the engineering talent of the Northern armies, or at least for that portion of it which had the honour of being commanded by Mr and Mrs Banks. For some distance around Winchester, almost every fence has been destroyed, and cavalry might now be used there to advantage. At the commencement of the war, a railroad existed between Winchester and Harper's Ferry, where it joined the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, by means of which the valuable produce of the valley was conveyed to the Northern markets. The army at Winchester was composed of two corps d'armée under the command of Generals Jackson and Longstreet, each consisting of four divisions. I was present whilst the latter officer inspected one of his divisions, and was highly pleased with the appearance of the men, and the manner in which they moved. As is usual in impromptu armies, the chief deficiency lies with the officers, who, though possessed of zeal and high courage, seldom know more of their duty than the men under their command. The system of election, which they unfortunately instituted, from the first has worked badly, and I never spoke with an officer on the subject who did not condemn it. It still holds good as regards the first appointment of officers to be second lieutenants, but all the vacancies of superior grade are filled up according to seniority. When such a system has been once established, it is difficult to abolish it suddenly, especially when the army is in the field. It is now a very common thing to see men of large property serving as privates in the ranks, whilst the captains are in social positions their inferiors, being perhaps merely the sons of small farmers in the neighbourhood of their own plantation. Many of these rich landed proprietors have been shoeless for weeks at a time; and a friend of mine who had seen Jackson's corps on the march, informed me that a number of them had been pointed out to him march |