The National tribune., 1908-06-11

any direct movement against Washing
ton The right flank of the army viz
tually rested on the Potomac above
Washington, while its left flank extend
ed behind the deep gulches of Bull Run
and the Occoquan. 1t was the old. old
story. The Army of the Potomac was
only acting defensively and not .aggres-
sively; il was making Washington safe
against any attack by Lees army when
it should have made it safe by destroy
ing that army.
President Lincoln again gave an ex-
hibition of that common-sense general
ship in which he seemed superior to
any of his commanders. Halleck was in
"a perpetual funk about making Wash
ington safe, and hampered Hooker with
admonitions to that effect, while Lin
coin said with homely wisdom that if
the head of Lees army was on the Sus-
quehanna and the tail of it on the Rap
pahannock, il must be thin somewhere,
and he suggested to Hooker that he find
this thin place and strike thru it. This
advice shocked Halleck, and has been
the subject of a great deal of solemn
condemnation by military critics of the
dry-as-dust school. Undoubtedly, and in
spite of all their wise saws and modern
instances, such a course by a capable
General would have been the highest
military wisdom. Lee would never have
dared make such a movement against
the front of an army commanded by a
man like Grant, Sheridan, JHapcpck OF
Thomas. Any one of them, without any
prompting by Lincoln, would have done
precisely what he advised, and the ruin
of Lees army would have been imme-
diate and utter.
The Cavalry Fight Mt AIdie.
During the night of June 1911 Hook
er decided to wait at Centeryille for a
still further development of Lees plans,
and Pieasonton went out toward Aldie
to gather what information he could.
Aide is an important gap in the Bull
Run Mountains, which had served as a
cover for Stuart's Cavalry. and Pleas
onton proposed, Il possible ;siifb;le 10 push thru
to the Blue Ridge, and ascertain W:::eeti
was going on beyond it. Gregg's Divi-
sion led off. with Kilpatrick's Brigade
at its head. Gel. Cuffie.' with the list f.
l. Cav, had been sent to Thoroughfare
Gap with orders to rejoin the column
at Middlebury~ Stuart had been imisled
by Mosby as to the real positions of the
cavalry. and believing 1t still further to
the east of the Bull Rim Mountains, sent
forward Munford,s Brigade. to occupy
Aide and Robertson to stop at Rector
town in support, About o'clock the
Federal scouts encountered Munford's
outlying men near Aide. 1tiwas.a COM
plete surprise to both sides. but both
Munford and Fitzpatrick rushed forward
with true cavalry arfor to gain the adj
vantage. Each brigade had four regi-
ments and a battery of artillery. Kill
patrick rushed thru Aide at the head
of the I'd n. Y. Cav, his old regiment,
while the rest of his brigade, coming
UP on the gallop, went into line of bat
tie beyond the village, and not a mo-
ment too soon, for Munford was rapidly
forming his own brigade.
The creek which runs thru Aide
forms gap which makes the impor-
lance of the place. and the road there
divides, with one branch running west
ward toward Middleburg and Ashby' S
Gap, the other northwestward in the
direction of Smokers Gap. Between
these two there is a hill. upon which
Munford formed his men with his artil-
lery on the summit. Before this he i'm
provised a strong line of defense for his
(Coptip1Iad nm paua fhreaN