1862.] BAILEY'S CROSS ROADS. 187 ering air. The clouds were battle's pall, and the storm was lead and iron. We had been obliged to leave Doctor Tuthill at the Lewis House, in care of two attendants, and he was able to rejoin the regiment in a few days. We reached the camp in time to permit the men to breakfast, and take their places in the ranks when the brigade marched. The rain poured down incessantly all day long, and the roads became like beds of mortar; but onward we went with scarcely a halt, until we reached "Three Mile Run," near Alexandria. If the Confederates had been marching upon the Capital, we could not have been hurried over the road any faster. McClellan probably wanted to try our speed and bottom-that is the only apparent motive for the Centreville expedition. The march of the regiment was 17 miles, and that of Captain Tappen's detachment about 25 miles; which, considering the condition of road and weather, was a good day's work. How much farther we should have been required to go no one can tell; but the rain now proved our benefactor, in that it had so swollen "Three Mile Run" when we reached it that it was impossible to cross, and we had to stop. I wore, on this occasion, a pair of high top boots over my trowsers—indeed, my trowsers would not go over my boot-legs. The consequence was, that I carried about a gallon of water in each boot-leg most of the day, and when the opportunity offered, some twenty-four hours later, to detach those boots from my person, it required the united efforts of three able-bodied men to separate us. I never afterward carried water in that way. As we were bridging "Three Mile Run" next morning, preparatory to crossing and proceeding to Alexandria, an order came directing us to our old quarters at Upton's Hill, whither we proceeded, and where officers and men resumed the huts they had taken leave of six days before. On the 18th of March, the regiment left Upton's Hill, and moving towards Alexandria about four miles, went into camp two miles south of Bailey's Cross Roads, with a view to being nearer to the shipping point when its turn came to embark for the Peninsula. But its turn never came. We remained in these quarters until the fourth day of April. During this time our camp swarmed with civilian visitors. Among them were Mrs. Pratt, wife of the Colonel, and Mrs. Major Miller, who were under escort of Hon. Horatio Seymour, Ex-Governor of New York. My old friends Messrs. Fordyce L. Laflin, and his cousin Addison H. Laflin, Captain Bouck, son of ExGovernor Bouck, and General Danforth, were among my guests. The advance to and return from Centreville, seemed to be regarded as very creditable exploits—the next best thing to an overwhelming victory. people were aware of the fact, that General McClellan knew the Confederates were evacuating Centreville, before he put his army in motion towards it. Very few The embarkation of the army at Alexandria was an interesting and herculean operation. It occupied about thirty days, and drew an immense body of spectatorssoldier and civilian-who never tired of watching the strange spectacle. Troops were marching in steady streams on board of vessels at different wharfs, while at others, wagons, batteries, and all the supplies and impedimenta of a great army, were being hurried aboard ship. Including the troops shipped from Perryville, on the Susquehanna, and from Washington, there were 121,000 men, 14,592 animáls, 1,150 wagons, 44 batteries, 74 ambulances, besides pontoon bridges, telegraph materials and enormous quantities of equipage required for such an army. To transport this multitude of men, animals and property, there were used 113 steamers, for which the Government paid $212.10 each per day; 188 schooners, at 1862.] WHAT THE FIRST CORPS WAS TO DO. 189 $24.45 per day, and 88 barges at $14.27 per day; aggregating for water transportation, $30,158.66 per day, and amounting, with cost of fuel, to over a million dollars to transfer the army from Alexandria to Fort Monroe. On the 13th of March, the army was organized into four corps d'arme, in pursuance of an order from the President. The 1st corps was commanded by General McDowell, and consisted of three divisions, commanded respectively by Generals King, McCall and Franklin. The 20th Regiment was in Patrick's Brigade of King's Division. The other regiments of this brigade were the 21st N. Y. V., Colonel Rogers; 23d N. Y. V., Colonel Hoffman, and 35th N. Y. V., Colonel Lord. In McClellan's plans for the Peninsula campaign, was included a flank movement of McDowell's corps, and to the derangement of such plans by the retention of this corps in front of Washington, he has chiefly attributed the miscarriage of the Peninsula enterprise. McDowell's corps was to be the last to embark and was to land in rear of Gloucester Point, thus turning Yorktown and opening up the York river. In view of the fact that the navy declined to put their heavily armed war vessels in range of the rebel batteries at Yorktown and Gloucester Point, it is clear that the turning movement must have been directed from the Rappahannock or Severn. And the corps would, in either case, be compelled to cross a broad and deep river, in face of the enemy. There was no concealment of the general plan of campaign, and it was probably quite as well known in Richmond as it was in Washington. The share assigned to McDowell's corps, was discussed by officers of all grades, a fortnight before the time for the expected embarkation of the corps; but West Point, at the head of the river, was understood to be the first objective. reach it would have required a march of thirty miles, from either the Severn or Rappahannock; and having reached it, the Mattapony and Pamunky rivers obstruct To the march and could only be crossed by bridging. West Point is connected with Richmond by rail, from which city it is but forty miles distant, and the entire peninsula from Yorktown to Richmond, was in the hands of the rebels, with a force, estimated by General McClellan, on the 7th of April, "not less than 100,000 men." How, under these circumstances, McDowell's corps of less than 25,000 men could have accomplished the role laid out for it, while McClellan's army of 100,000 was held in check by Magruder, with 12,000 men behind the works at Yorktown, is not so clear. But the experiment was not tried, and we can only speculate upon the probable consequences of an attempt to carry it out. it out. On the fourth of April, the AdjutantGeneral of the army telegraphed to General McClellan, who was then at Fort Monroe, as follows: "By direction of the President, General McDowell's army corps has been detached from the force under your immediate command, and the general is ordered to report to the Secretary of War. Letter by mail. " CHAPTER XIII. GENERAL PATRICK-HIS FIRST APPEARANCE IN CAMP-HIS SECOND COM 66 ING AND WHAT THE BOYS SAID ABOUT IT-A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY- WHILE we were lying at Centreville, General Wadsworth was appointed Military Governor of Washington, and took leave of the brigade. Soon thereafter General M. R. Patrick was appointed his successor, and assumed command after the brigade returned to Upton's Hill. General Patrick did not win the affections of his troops so easily as did his predecessor; indeed, he made no effort in that direction. He was about the age of General Wadsworth, but of a more slender figure and of a sharp and rather stern face. His head was bald with a rim of gray hair around the base, and he wore his beard full and long. I remember well the first time I saw him -he came strolling into our camp on foot, with a Mexican blanket hanging over his shoulders and enveloping his form-his head passing through a hole in the centre of this odd garment. The "boys" were amused by the quaint costume of their unknown visitor. He said nothing to anybody, but walked about as though he were intent upon "spying out the barrenness of the " camp. The next we knew of him he rode into our midst in the uniform of a Brigadier-General, mounted on a magnificent horse, accompanied by his staff, and assumed, command of the brigade. The aforesaid |