The Mineral argus., 1884-08-07
GENERAL SCOTS PROPHECY.

War o~pened-"Ify you Don't DO This You
VIII BE Beaten in the First General Ac-
tion"-A Historic Military Conference in
Se1
One of the most valuble contributions
to the July number of the Magazine of
American History is that by General
Stone, in which he relates, with circum-
stances and detail, General SCOTS pro-
phecy of the battle of Bull Run. He
writes:
The Con to Richmond" psrty had its
powerful supporters in the capital OF
the country, in the Senate and even In
the Presidents Cabinet. While it was
well understood there that the Presl-
dent and Mr.. Seward were disposed to
act coolly and in conformity with the
ideas of the responsible military chiefs
in reference to military movements, 1t
was also understood that MIR. Chase
was a strong advocate for Immediate
advance"
Lieutenant-G General Scott, the Gen
eral-in- Chief of the Army while desiring
prompt and vigorous action as soon as
the proper means of procuring success
could be organized, was earnestly OPP
posed to a forward movement until such
time as the National forces should be so
reasonably organized as to make success
at the least probable. Notwithstanding
nv appointment to the Colonelcy of a
new regiment (the fourteenth United
States Infantry, / was still retained by
General Scott as his Inspector-G General
for the District and commander OF the
District of Columbia troops, and was
acting directly under his orders.
At about eight o'clock at evening on
n of the last days of May q think 1T
was the 31st of May I entered as usual
the quarters of the aged General-in-
Chief to make my report for the day
and to receive my orders for the night.
As I entered the General was seated
at the head of his dinner table (Which
had been cleared, while the Secretary
of the Treasury, Mr.. Chase, occupied a
seat opposite him at the foot of the Ia
bic. Habitually the General-in-Chie
on my entrance in the evening, cour-
teously invited me to be seated but now
he seemed to have been engaged IN
earnest conversation, and as l advanced
he SAID, quickly:
Colonel Stone, how many men do
you want to march on Richmond by the
way of Manassas ?"
I perceived that the general desired
an instant reply and said promptly:
''Forty thousand, general" and then
quickly added: with $4,000 in re-
serve"
'eWelI, sir, suppose I give You that
force, how soon could youmoye?"
''That, general, would depend upon
the quartermasteris and subsistence de-
partments. I could move as soon as
they could give me rations and trans
portation."
well, sir, suppose you had them.
How fast would you advance? ?"
Having all prepared, general, the
advance guard of my force might be on
the Rappahannock in three days.
and"
"Rappahannockl Rappahannock!
what is that?" -
'sThe Rappahannock river, generali"
ooh! there is a river there, IS there?
Rappahannock river, Ell? / wish that
everybody knew that Well, sir, what
then? ?"
''Should the bridge be burned
'.Eh. there is a bridge oyer that
river. and that bridge might be burned
I wish everybody knew that, too. Well,
sir, if the bridges are burned?"
"Why, then, general, | would proba-
bly, lose two or three days in forcing the
passage of the fords. Then AND
so / continued to describe the advance
"The general interrupted me with
"Why, Colonel Stone, you are taking
forty or fifty days to get to Richmond /!
General, Think that l would be for
tunate to arrive there in that time IL
the place of an active enemy, fully &C
auainted with the country"
The old general said, as If thinking
aloud: 81 wish / could see Genera
Totten. l wish I could see the chief o
engineers"
/ Immediately left headquarters t
find General Totten, the chief of en-
gineers of the Army. 1t was a rain.
night, and to spare the aged general
damp walk / took a carriage and drov
to his house. Admitted Immediately
/ found the venerable General Tote
and his gracious wife seated before til
Fireplace, in which a small fire had bee
kindled to keep away the dampnes'
Both welcomed me kindly and invite
me to a seat between them; but l eN
cused myself, and, apologizing for dis
turbing them on so damp an evening
said: General, the General-in-C Chic
desires to see you at his head-quarterI
and have a carriage in order that 70
may respond to his desire with as littl
inconvenience as possible"
Tn one minute the careful wife of h