Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 13.djvu/422

 The Lost Dispatch. 421

loss of a paper, solely upon the ground that it was directed to me. I also published the statement of my Adjutant-General, Major J. W. Ratchford, that Lee's order had never been received at our head- quarters. There are many still living, who know that I occupied a tent, and not a house, outside of Frederick. Whittier said in refer- ence to the story of Barbara Fritchie that it was "as well authenti- cated as any fact in history," on a rumor current in Frederick. It is a very painful thought to me that a Confederate officer, while ex- posing one myth started upon a Frederick rumor, should bring up as true another rumor to the prejudice of a brother officer, who always tried to do his duty. General Johnson thinks that great things might have been accomplished by the Maryland campaign a possibility of the capture of Washington and Baltimore, recog- nition by the powers in Europe, peace and independence. But that the campaign failed " principally by the negligence which lost Lee's special order No. 191."

Let us look for a moment at these gigantic claims. General John- son says that Lee crossed the Potomac with 35,000 men, and that McClellan had 160,000 in hand and 11,000 at Harper's Ferry. It must be remembered that our remnant of an army was what was left after two months' constant marching and fighting and after beating two armies, each superior in numbers to itself. Could the jaded, worn-out, ragged, barefooted and half-starved fragment beat five times their numbers and capture two great cities ? We must recol- lect that the age of miracles is past. No one more feelingly re- members than I do, the courage, patience and endurance of that grand army; but its illustrious commander did not expect miracles from his veterans. He said in his official report: "Although not properly equipped for invasion, lacking much of the material of war and feeble in transportation, the troops poorly provided with clothing and thousands of them barefooted, it was yet believed to be strong enough to detain the enemy on the Northern frontier until the approach of winter should render his advance into Virginia difficult, if not impracticable."

Not one word is said of "the possibility of the capture of Wash- ington and Baltimore, the recognition of the Confederacy by the powers, of independence and of peace." Lee was too sagacious a man to think of the possibility of the impossible.

I have thought that McClellan lost rather than gained by the cap- ture of order No. 191. He did not need that to know that Harpers Ferry was beleagured, his own ears could hear the firing. The only