The Citizen-Soldier | Page 5

Hill, I can not tell. Certain it is that
the portion of our army advancing up the Valley river is in battle,
somewhere, and not many miles away.
We do not know the strength of our opponents, nor the character and
extent of their fortifications. These mountain passes must be ugly
things to go through when in possession of an enemy; our boys look
forward, however, to a day of battle as one of rare sport. I do not. I
endeavor to picture to myself all its terrors, so that I may not be
surprised and dumbfounded when the shock comes. Our army is
probably now making one of the most interesting chapters of American
history. God grant it may be a chapter our Northern people will not be
ashamed to read!
I am not confident of a speedy termination of the war. These people are
in the wrong, but have been made to believe they are in the right--that
we are the invaders of their hearthstones, come to conquer and destroy.
That they will fight with desperation, I have no doubt. Nature has
fortified the country for them. He is foolishly oversanguine who

predicts an easy victory over such a people, intrenched amidst
mountains and hills. I believe the war will run into a war of
emancipation, and when it ends African slavery will have ended also. It
would not, perhaps, be politic to say so, but if I had the army in my
own hands, I would take a short cut to what I am sure will be the
end--commence the work of emancipation at once, and leave every foot
of soil behind me free.
10. From the best information obtainable, we are led to believe the
mountains and hills lying between this place and Beverly are strongly
fortified and full of men. We can see a part of the enemy's fortifications
very plainly from a hill west of camp. Our regiment was ordered to be
in readiness to march, and was under arms two hours. During this time
the Dutch regiment (McCook's), the Fourth Ohio, four pieces of
artillery, one company of cavalry, with General McClellan, marched to
the front, the Dutchmen in advance. They proceeded, say a mile, when
they overhauled the enemy's pickets, and in the little skirmish which
ensued one man of McCook's regiment was shot, and two of the enemy
captured. By these prisoners it is affirmed that eight or nine thousand
men are in the hills before us, well armed, with heavy artillery planted
so as to command the road for miles. How true this is we can not tell.
Enough, however, has been learned to satisfy McClellan that it is not
advisable to attack to-day. What surprises me is that the General should
know so little about the character of the country, the number of the
enemy, and the extent of his fortifications.
During the day, Colonel Marrow, apparently under a high state of
excitement, informed me that he had just had an interview with George
(he usually speaks of General McClellan in this familiar way), that an
attack was to be made, and the Third was to lead the column. He
desired me, therefore, to get out my horse at once, take four men with
me, and search the woods in our front for a practicable road to the
enemy. I asked if General McClellan had given him any information
that would aid me in this enterprise, such as the position of the rebels,
the location of their outposts, their distance from us, and the character
of the country between our camp and theirs. He replied that George had
not. It occurred to me that four men were rather too few, if the work

contemplated was a reconnoissance, and rather too many if the service
required was simply that for which spies are usually employed. I
therefore spoke distrustingly of the proposed expedition, and
questioned the propriety of sending so small a force, so utterly without
information, upon so hazardous an enterprise, and apparently so foolish
a one. My language gave offense, and when I finally inquired what four
men I should take, the Colonel told me, rather abruptly, to take whom I
pleased, and look where I pleased. His manner, rather than his words,
indicated a doubt of my courage, and I turned from him, mounted my
horse, and started for the front, determined to obey the order to the best
of my ability, but to risk the lives of no others on what was evidently a
fool's errand. After proceeding some distance, I found that the
wagon-master was at my heels, and, together, we traced every cow-path
and mountain road we could find, and passed half a mile beyond the
enemy's outposts, and over ground visited by his scouts almost