The evening world., 1911-06-17
"ON TO RICHMOND"
FIRST SOUNDED
/ FIFTY YEARS AGO
Impotence Of the North in
1861 Recalled by War
Anniversary.
PROMPT ACTION G
Ignorance Led Many to Believe
That War Could Be Ended
in a Month.
PROMPT ACTION G
Nv Philip X. Dillon.

The battle cry of the million. "On to
Richmond" was first founded by the
popular leaders Of the North nifty years
ago In the third week In June. That
was but ten weeks after the opening
at Fort Sumter.
on April -. 1851. the Confederate
Congress had met at Montgomery, Ala.
and had made hat city the capital OF
the new nation. as they called the
Confederacy: a city In the very heart
Of the South. far from the Northern
frontier. n well adapted In geography
for a capital.
But Virginia had not yet Joined with
them. and they wanted virginia. They
had vital need of that state. Virginia
seemed TO wnver. Hurricdly the South
ern leaders made Richmond the capital.
Thenceforth. they said. the heart OF Vtr-
ginla would be the heart OF the Con-
federacy. and so 1t was. The Confeder-
ate Congress adjourned TO meet In Rich
mond on July 20. In the mean time
President jefferson Davis and his cab
Inc, removed northward 10 Richmond.
Frem washington 20 Richmond. as the
crow flies straight south. In but . hun
dred miies- As an army would march,
taking the beaten roads. the distance is
about 40 miles.
In all history or all nations. ancient
and modern. there is no parallel TO
Washington and Richmond-each the
capital OF a vast territory. each near
The extreme frontier of It's territory.
slaring at each other In deathly hatred
acioss n little distance overland.
AccCP 60 AZ A FINAL cHAl.
.eNoe 70 THE NORTH.
The radical leaders of the North &C.
ceptsd the removal OF the capital to
Richmond - the final challenge to a
death struggle. and SO the battle cry
gathered from Kansas 10 Maine. and In
the third week Of June It rolled down to
the Potomao-.On to Richmond"
At Washington and its suburbs were
$500 Union soldiers. already called The
Army Of the Potomac" under Gen.. IT.
via Mcdowell. q brave and experienced
West Point officer. Fifty miies away to
the northwestward beside the Potomac.
at Harper's Ferry. was Gen. Robert
Patterson with 1900 Pennsylvania mon.
Further westward. IN West virginia at
Grafton on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road. ib miles from Washington, was
Gen. George b. Mcclellan with 1000
meo.
Opposed to these three Federal armies
were three Confederate armies. The
largest was at M~anassas. twenty-thr
miles west OF Washington. numbering
Zoo men. under Gen. Beauregard.
Fifty miles northwest of ssAs.
owe the Blue Ridge Mountains. at
Winchester in the Shenandoah Valley.
was Gen. Joseph T.. Johnston with
n.We men facing Gen. Patterson. Fur.
her west q hundred miles. over the
Allegheny Mountains. was Gen. Gar.
nett with 5000 men facing Gen. Nc
0ellan.
1t was known all through the coun-
try that the Federal armies were great
~ superior In numbers to the Confed-
crate armies. Yet. mt this time, Nifty
years q both sides seemed TO be
inactive. watching each other. This
aroused the impatience OF the North
ern and Western people. who were
anxious to have their armies march
forward At once and quickly suppress
the rebellion. 50 tho cry began-"Or
10 Richmond.'
There had been several skirmishes
and n small isolated battle at Grea,
Bethel tcoiloquially called big
Bethel) which did not decide any ques.
ttoa Of relative strength. Also Their,
had been one campaign of marching
strategy. advance n retreat. engage,
In by the rmies OF Gen. Patterson
n Gen. Johnston for the possession
Of Harper's Ferry. This had been de
cisive.