Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[330] Louisiana Volunteers, and Kirkland's Eleventh Regiment North Carolina Volunteers, which, having arrived the night before en route for Winchester, I had halted in view of the existing necessities of the service.

With any considerable force at “Camp Pickens” (Manassas), would this regiment either have been stopped en route, or the effective men of six companies only ordered up as a reserve?

In his report of Bull Run, July 21, Beauregard also speaks of the “intrenched batteries at Manassas” being under the command of Colonel Terret.

Is it possible that the rebels have been able to more than quadruple their forces in the last six months, with the whole world shut out from them, over what they did in the first six months?

All which is respectfully submitted.

Benj. F. Butler. February 11, 1862.

There was understood to be some feeling between General McClellan and the President because McClellan did not move, his excuse being all the while the small number of his troops and the great excess of those of the enemy. McClellan, however, held everything with a high, strong hand, and what he wanted he had. The Committee on the Conduct of the War were known to be very much opposed to him, as he certainly was to them. This fact is now known, but at that time it was only conjectured. A short time after it became known that I had given my testimony before the committee, General McClellan asked me if I had any objection to telling him what the substance of my testimony was. I told him that I had not the slightest objection. I did not know at that time what his testimony had been, and certainly not what his estimate was, for while in Washington I had been very busy about my own affairs. He appeared very much surprised at my testimony. He questioned me as to the source of my knowledge. I told him that of personal knowledge I knew nothing of course, but I sketched to him how I made up my calculations. He said that I must be wrong, that he knew that there were a great many more troops than that. I answered squarely: “Well, your knowledge of course ought to be vastly superior to the best verified calculations upon which I have come to my opinion.”

I handed him my analysis of the number of troops which had been in the battle of Bull Run, which number had been substantially verified by actual reports, and then added my further calculations upon the same basis, and made in two different ways, to show that