The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-27
A MIDNIGHT REVIEW.

c. KroeSen, late of Company G. TWen
 ty-third Pennsylvania infantry, show
 the intense anxiety of President Lin
 coin at one of the most critical period
 of the war. The doctor writes:
 Tn 1862 the Army of the Potomac hal
 landed at Fortress Monroe and New
 port News and had fought its way t(
 within seven miles of Richmond. wher
 the battle of the Seven Pines or Fail f Oaks occurred, resulting in the Unior
 army outposts being pushed milt
 nearer to Richmond than they were be-
 fore the two days fight, Then came | the turning movement of Lee and Jack
 son on McClellan's right, which result
 ed in the Union army shifting it's line of
 communications and base from the head of the Pamunkey river to Harrison Landing, on the James river, fighting seven days continuously in order to
 successfully carry out the movement.
 "The last battle occurred at Malvern Heights, where the Union army, well
 posted well in hand, withstood the re-
 peated onslaughts of the Confederates,
 driving them back with great slaughter
 at all points, demoralizing their com
 mands to such an extent that, accord-
 ing to the testimony of ex-Confederate
 officers, the roads to Richmond all that
 night were filled with retreating, dsor-
 ganized bands of their army. Right
 here the great military opportunity of
 General McClellan's life was lost-such
 an opportunity that q Grant would
 have profited from and never let go by
 The rank and file of the Union army ctA hn r61
 portunity for a successful countercharge slowly slipped away with the light of day
 That night, to the astonishment of the generals in the ranks, orders were received all along the line to fall back to Harrison's Landing, and the singular situation then and there occurred of both armies running away from each other. Clearly there was no evidence of panic in the Union forces, unless it ex- isted in the minds of those who advised and ordered the movement, as the divi- sions brigades and regiments were in tact and cohesive notwithstanding the strain x of seven days hard fighting That some one in authority had clearly lost his head was further evidenced by the massing of the main portion of the army in the bottom lands along the river instead of at once taking up ad- vantageous offensive and defensive po- sitions on the high ground beyond. The army was placed just in such position as an enterprising enemy could have wished to have assaulted and knocked it into a mob and secured It's capture. The situation, however was totally un- known to Lee and Jackson; besides, they had all they could do to organize and concentrate their own scattered for 
 Something of the real situation trav- eled to Washington, and President Lin coln. with his characteristic energy, to go at once to the army and personally inspect it. A swift steamer brought him to Harrison's !, where he and General Me ' clellan held a conference and reviewed { the situation-a conference of which but , little or nothing is known, but which . must have been exceedingly interest ng. as the president ordered a review of he army without delay, and that, too, ] midnight review, something unheard ,f during the whole war. It was a warm July night when the orders were passed to divisions, brlgades and regi- nents to fall in under arms and in marching order, and soon the lines were ormed stretching from the river across he wide bottom lands to the skirting fills beyond, and just far enough apart o allow the reviewing party to pass be- ween them. At first the object of the ormation was unknown to the soldiers, s np explanation was given; no fires we're lighted, no torches or lanterns were used, no music or the firing of sig al guns was permitted, but all was si- ant and shadowy save the occasional attle of a canteen, or jingle of a sabre, nd the low commands of the officers It may be night movement against he enemy or another change of base o whispered the man In thel ranks as { e stood, a silent, grim shadow ready | or anything.
 After a long wait a commotion was card along the brigade line in front mich passed from right to left, but the ( arkness prevented the men in the next ne from observing the cause. After an lterval the same commotion was heard z oming from left to right in front of ' ne line in which the writer stood, and z le low quick word of command that l as passed along to Present arms!' re- z ealed the object of the midnight call ( review of the army. Presently out of the darkness mass r horsemen was seen slowly approach t lg, with two wel-known figures riding a ell to the front-one, the short, solid i gure of General Mcclellan; the oth- I :, the tall, spare form of President c incoIn in plain citizen dress and wear t E, as was his custom, 'stove-plpe' { at Mcclellan leaned slightly forward r
 his saddle. his head bent as though s look was downward on his horses V eek. The president sat in his saddle t raight as an arrow, head erect and t ,ce toward the shadowy lines of the h oops. A whispered wave in the ranks e flowed the passing of the horsemen, n
 There goes Father Abraham or b here's Old Abe, boys all in tone Of W rprise, as the appearance of the pres D ent was the first intimation to the h nk and file that he was in camp. The tl range review ended as it began. The n rl lines broke up as the regiments M Id companies returned to their quar- b rs-the very opposite in contrast to al @ grand review that took place at ft ashington prior to the army's depar- b.