The National tribune., 1901-06-27

defenSes at Washington. | remember tn
afternoon that movement began of tw
columns moving out simultaneously froI
Centerville for Washington upon road
nearly parallel. and leading thereto. Thes
columns were those of Kearny's ant
Banks's troops, kearny taking the left o
these rOadways, being the one nearest t
the enemy.
We had reached point but shor
distance from CenterYille when evenin:
overlook us, as did also the enemy, unde
Jackson, striking the column under kear
ny. Our column was Immediately halted
the wagon trains having the roadway anC
the troops the bitches at each side, unit
these were filed with water and the
troops driven therefrom: for, as was usual
" the case when a battle began or was
ended, 4 severe rain and thunder storm
had set in, and amidst that storm, while
Jackson's and Kearny's guns were thun
dering at each other, and Joined tc
heavens artillery, making night as hid
eouS and unbearabie as it well could be
was this struggle continued. AT times it
seemed as if Kearny's forces would GER
tainly be driven across the space separat-
ing them from us; then would the enemy
be repelled and driven further away. So
that fight swayed back and forth.
What would have been the situation
had kearny's men been driven back upon
us, | am not prepared to say, as during
that entire night l was not aware that any
precautionary arrangements were made
or plans formed a to how we should
form or act had such an event happened;
but Shields'S troops had the reputation of
giving battle upon very short notice, and
possibly We're here left to act in accord
ance with their reputation.
DEATH OF KEARNY.
But Kearny's men beat back the foe
who had in the midst of such a storm as
IL, I,,,% -, ,I,a& ,1.,ht E,rhf .,f
men and amidst that storm of the ele-
ments, the light of life of one of the most
dashng. chivalric characters in the Union
army went out, as there the gallant Gen.
Phil Kearny was numbered with the
Union dead. his body falling into the
hands of the enemy, but on the day fol-
lowing il was sent into our lines under q
flag Of truce. the enemy desiring to pay
this tribute of respect to his worth in
admiration of his bravery.
This struggle where Kearny fell is
known as the battle of ChantillY. and
was very important in its results, as 1t
effectually ended the efforts of the enemy
to get between Popes army and Wash
ington, and Popes further march thereto
was unmOlested.
At the beginning of this campaign the
plan on the part of our authorities seemed
TO have been to withdraw the troops from
Mcclellan and assign them to Pope, as
lue III lHt utiu. Dul HOh luclI
plan appeared to be to place Mcclellan
in command of the defenses at Washing
ton. then withdraw the troops from the
field and assign them to him; by these
assignments, first one commander then the
other would have been left without troops,
and as a rule, / believe, a General does
not do much fighting, or make much of
a military record, without troops So
Pope, soon being without troops, passed
from position and prominence, and Nc
Clellan resumed his position as Com
mander-in-Chief of the Army of the Poto-
mac upon the very ground where he had
first taken that command, and where he
had organized and brought that grand
army into existence and efficiency.
At the close of the battle of Chantilly
the routes of those opposing armies sep
arated, the one returning to Washington,
the other to resume its march, cross the
Potomac, invade Maryland, and see what
the future had in store for it as an in
yading army.
Just before we reached Washington, I
remember of Mcclellan passing us in
ride out toward the front, apparently to
see. as to the condition of his troops upon
their return. He was accompanied by
several of his staff. l never saw him ap-
pear to better advantage. As the soldiers
recognized him cheer after cheer greeted
him, as the impression had already gained
ground among them that he was to be the
new Commander-in-C Chief, and this was a
source. of rejoicing for them. In return
for this greeting he raised his cap and
smiled his most happy thanks.
THE ARMY AROUND WASHINGTON.
The Union army rapidly assembled
about the defenses of Washington, and
expected a long stay there in the reOr-
ganization that they thought would follow,
each command being OF the opinion that if
some movement was necessary, and had
to be made, why, make it with that other
eommand-any other, save their own.
AS it was with my own regiment, so
undoubtedly was it with others; for we
had hardly moved upon the ground be-
meath the frOwning walls of Fort Albany,
late that afternoon, and broken ranks, be-
fore the men looked upon it as a fort es-
peclally erected for them, and decided that
there they would rest from their tolls
and privations. They seemed to be as
familiar with its construction as if it had
been their own handiwOrk, speaking of it
and the surroundings in endearing terms,
Bs if these were old landmarks, as if this
was the particular place that they had
been looking for ever since the war began;
here they thought they would leisurely
read the morning papers, look wise, and
wonder why the Army of the Potomac
didn't move; and further, to their thinking
this fort was to be made memorable by
IueiI heroic ubJeIlSe OF II SnOulO an Oc-
casion arise. OF such stuff as this are
soldiers dreams made in time of war;
but such dreams as these were rudely
blasted by the order i soon received to
be in readiness TO move at daylight. So
that heroic defense of Fort Albany which
my men were so eager and ready to make,
was never made, at least not by the Goth
Ohio.
McClelan's army moved so promptly
from Washington that his organization
of it took place while on the march While
in the roadway, or while he was moving
10 confront Lee who was supposed to be
somewhere in the vicinity of Frederick
Md. While our several columns were be-
ing concentrated at that place we could
hear distant cannonading in the direction
of Harper's Ferry But before our head
of column reached Frederick, Lees army
moved out in the direction of South Noun
tain, and McClellan's army pushed ON in
rapid pursuit
II so happened, however, that while at
Frederick Mcclellan was so fortunate as
20 come into possession of one of Lees
orders assigning his several commands TO
their respective work, and giving his order
of march. That order revealed to Nc
Clellan the fact that the different passes
in the mountain beyond, and through
which his army had to 90 to oyertake Lee,
would be held by a rear guard only, and
that Lee would not give a general battie
there
This information thus gained by acci-
dent justified Mcclellan in giving positive
orders that those passes should be car
ried, at once, by assault, and no time lost