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Chapter 18: Lee's invasion of Maryland, and his retreat toward Richmond.
- Lee's relative position to the National Army reviewed
-- the Republic in peril, 464.
-- Lee's invasion of Maryland
-- his proclamation, 465.
-- it is scorned by the people of Maryland
-- Barbara Frietchie, 466.
-- Lee's scheme of invasion discovered, 467.
-- McClellan's advantages, 468.
-- advance upon South Mountain, 469.
-- battle
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on South Mountain, 470.
-- struggle at Crampton's Gap
-- Toombs and Cobb, the Georgia traitors, 471.
-- Harper's Ferry invested, 472.
-- surrender of Harper's Ferry, 473.
-- the armies in the Antietam Valley, 474.
-- their relative position, 475.
-- preparations for battle
-- preliminary contests, 476.
-- battle of Antietam, 477.
-- close of operations on the right, 480.
-- operations on the left, and close of the battle, 481.
-- Lee permitted to escape, 482.
-- McClellan ordered to pursue him
-- he halts and calls for re — enforcements, 483.
-- the Army of the Potomac again in Virginia
-- a race toward Richmond
-- Napoleon's ideas about making War, 484.
-- slow movements of the Army
-- McClellan superseded by Burnside, 485.
-- the Army before Fredericksburg, 486.
-- position of the Confederates at Fredericksburg, 487.
-- attempts to build pontoon bridges
-- attacks on the workmen, 488.
-- passage of the Rappahannock by National troops, 489.
-- relative position of the two armies, 490.
-- attack on the Confederate line, 491.
-- battle of Fredericksburg, 492.
-- struggle at the foot of Marye's Hill, 493.
-- withdrawal of National troops, 494.
-- Burnside's new plan of operations, 495.
-- its execution commenced and suspended
-- Burnside called to Washington City, 496.
-- Ie is superseded by General Hooker
-- his patriotism triumphs over feeling, 497.
Only thirty days had passed by since
Lee was in the attitude of a defender of the
Confederate capital, with two large armies threatening it from different points, when he was seen in the position of an exultant victor, ready to take the offensive in a bold menace of the
National capital.
He sent troops to check
Pope, and the effect was the withdrawal of the Army of the Potomac from the
Peninsula.
Relieved of all danger in the latter direction, he moved in heavy force and pushed the Army of Virginia across the
Rappahannock before the other great army lent it any aid; and now, at the beginning of September, he saw both armies which had threatened him, shattered and disordered behind the strong fortifications of the
National capital, where
McClellan concentrated them to defend that capital from an expected assault.
From
Fortress Monroe to the head waters of the
James and the
Rappahannock, and far up the
Potomac and the intervening country, as well as the whole
valley of the Shenandoah to its northern entrance at
Harper's Ferry, there were no National troops, and the harvests in all that region were poured into the
Confederate granary.
The Republic now seemed to be in great peril, and the loyal people were very anxious.
Long before the disastrous termination of the campaign on the
Peninsula, thoughtful men were losing faith in the ability, and some in the patriotism of the commander of the Army of the Potomac; and it was. clearly seen that if one hundred and fifty thousand to two hundred thousand men could not make more headway in the work of crushing the rebellion than they had done under his leadership during full ten months, more men must be called to the field at once, or all would be lost.
Accordingly the loyal Governors of eighteen States signed a request that the
President should immediately take measures for largely increasing the effective force in the field.
He had already, by a call on the 1st of June, drawn forty thousand men, for three months, from
Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, New York,
Pennsylvania, and
Ohio.
In compliance with a request of the governors, he called for three hundred thousand volunteers “for the war,” on the 1st of July; and on the 9th of August, when
Pope was struggling with
Jackson near the
Rapid Anna, he called for three hundred thousand men for nine months, with the understanding that an equal number of men would be drafted from the great body of the citizens who were over eighteen and less.
than forty-five years of age, if they did not appear as volunteers.
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These calls met with a hearty response, and very soon men were seen flocking to the standard of the
Republic by thousands.
The Conspirators at
Richmond well knew that such a response would be made, and while they were wickedly deceiving the people of the
Confederacy with the idea that “the
Lincoln government,” as they said in derision, was bankrupt in men and money, they were trembling with fear because of its wealth in both, which they well comprehended.
Therefore they instructed
Lee to take immediate advantage of the fortunate situation in which
McClellan's failure to sustain
Pope had placed him, to act boldly, vigorously, and even desperately, if necessary.
Lee saw clearly that an assault on the fortified National capital would be foolish and disastrous, and he conceived the idea of throwing his army across.
the
Potomac to the rear of
Washington, when, perhaps, after sweeping victoriously on to the
Susquehanna, he might return and seize
Baltimore and the
National city.
He believed the people of “sovereign”
Maryland were chafing under the domination of the
Government, and were ready to give all the support in their power to the
Confederate cause; and that the presence of his army would produce a general uprising in that State.
The conspirators at
Richmond were in accord with
Lee in this view, and he made instant preparations for throwing his army across the
Potomac.
Lee was joined on the 2d
by the fresh division of
D. H. Hill, from
Richmond, and this was immediately sent as a vanguard toward
Leesburg.
The whole Confederate army followed, and between the 4th and 7th it had crossed the
Potomac by the fords in the vicinity of the
Point of Rocks, and encamped not far from the city of
Frederick, on the
Monocacy River.
There
General Lee formally raised the standard of revolt, and issued a proclamation
in words intended to be as seductive to the people of that commonwealth as those of
Randall's impassioned appeal, entitled “
Maryland!
My Maryland!”
1 Lee declared it was the wish “of the people of the
South” to aid those of
Maryland in throwing off the “foreign yoke” they were compelled to bear, that they might be able to “again enjoy the inalienable rights of freemen, and to restore the independence and sovereignty of their State ;” and he assured them that his mission was to assist them with the power of arms “in regaining their rights,” of which .they had “been so unjustly despoiled.”
Lee discoursed as fluently and falsely of the “outrages” inflicted by the generous Government which he had solemnly sworn to protect, and against which he was waging war for the perpetuation of injustice and inhumanity,
2
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as did
