W

PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF THE REBELLION

(Thirteenth Paper)

Chapter XII.

THILE McClellan was in front of Yorktown, the President and Secretary of War and Mr. Chase, Secretary of the Treasurypractically the Administration-came down and took up their quarters at Fort Monroe, staying with us at headquarters. The evening of their arrival Yorktown was evacuated, and the enemy retired upon Williamsburg, pursued by McClellan's forces. The latter had an engagement at Williamsburg with the rear-guard of his army, and suffered severely, losing about eighteen hundred men. The news of the battle reached Fort Monroe that evening, previous to the arrival of the President. The enemy meanwhile was retreating up the Peninsula.

Upon the party's arrival in a revenue cutter I boarded the vessel, and reported to the President the results of the engagement, (for we had no notice of his coming) and suggested that the party should come to headquarters within the fort; a messenger being despatched to the General, who came down with his staff to meet them and escort them to the Fort.

The Navy, in command of Admiral Goldsborough, had repeatedly refused to co-operate with us in making an effort to take Norfolk, and this was the real reason of the President and Secretary of war coming down; their object being to establish harmony of action between the Army and Navy.

General Wool represented to the President that he could do nothing with his army, except he had a naval force to cover his landing upon the opposite shore. The result was that they proceeded off to the flagship at once, meeting Admiral Goldsborough with General Wool, and from there issued an order that night, that the Navy should go into action next day, and bombard the forts of the Elizabeth River, Sewell's Point and Craney Island. Wool said to the President:

"If you will order the Navy to co-operate with me, I will take Norfolk in three days.

The naval vessels went into action next day, and in less than two hours silenced the forts. Then the Merrimac appeared for the second time, (and) the naval vessels at once retired from action, notwithstanding the four large rams we had there for the express purpose of destroying the Merrimac. Nothing could be more humiliating than this exhibition on the part of the commander of the Navy. So conspicuous was this irresolute act that it caused the relief of Admiral Goldsborough from the command in a few days, and an order from the President that his war vessels should go up the James River and assist McClellan by bombarding the forts on Drewry's Bluff.

General Wool determined to make an advance on Norfolk, and had secured a large number of big canal-boats that had brought down the cavalry and mules of McClellan's command. On these he proposed to embark about ten thousand men, and land them at a place called Pleasure-House Beach, which was the most accessible point to the Eastward of Norfolk, and to take the rebel works. General Wool's troops had never been brigaded, and I sat up all night with him, making details of the regiments that were to go. The information we had received was that General Huger had about twenty thousand men in Norfolk, inside defences. I suggested to General Wool that as his troops were all new levies and had not been brigaded, and the amount of artillery he had was insignificant, our chances of success seemed very remote. It seemed to me the attempt would result in inevitable disaster.

General Wool asserted at once, with

"If I land, General Huger will run. and he knows I will never wet my feet."

great confidence:

Huger has been on my staff,

"Suppose he does not run", I said; "We will either be driven into the sea or will have to surrender".

"It is not a supposable case," General Wool replied: "General Huger will evacuate."

I was the ranking officer on the staff at Fort Monroe. It is military etiquette that the highest ranking officer should be assigned as Aide-in-waiting to the President. President Lincoln occupied my sleeping-room, while I slept on a stretcher in the hall. As Aide-inwaiting, I was practically secretary to the President.

I was utterly depressed by General Wool's confidence, which was not based on any consideration of military affairs and of the exact situation, but was purely a game of brag. On the following day, when General Wool was out, reviewing the command that was going on the expedition, the President and Secretary observed that I was very reticent and depressed, and asked me what the trouble was. I avoided the question for some little time, but they urged upon me that I should tell them what was the cause of my trouble. I replied to them:

"I am going to do a very insubordinate act". Then I told them precisely what General Wool was about to do: that he was going to move the following night to attack Norfolk, purely on the belief that if he landed General Huger would evacuate the place. I said: "We have had so many disasters that one coming now would be terrible, not only in its consequences to us, but fearful in its influence on McClellan's advance."

The President was thoughtful for a long time, and finally said: "Well, what do you suggest?"

"I have nothing to suggest", I said, "but there is a remedy". "What is it?" asked the President.

"Relieve General Wool of his command."

They knew my close personal relations with General Wool, but this they were not prepared to do. At dinner that evening the President asked General Wool how many men he was going to move with.

"About ten thousand", said the General.

"But", the President said, "has not General Huger nearly twentythousand men, and are they not behind fortified works?"

"Well, possibly", answered General Wool, "but that is of no consequence, he is not going to fight, he will run if I land.”

Then the President repeated very much what I had said to him about the situation.

"Mr. President," said General Wool, "you are not a military man and do not understand the situation. If you stay here forty-eight hours, I will present Norfolk to you."

The troops were embarked on the barges at nightfall, and very clever, skillful arrangements were made for landing them. Two or three of these barges, empty, were to be driven ahead by a tug with great velocity, and run right upon to the beach, bows first. Anchors and chains were immediately to be carried ashore to keep the barges in position. Then another barge was to be brought under the stern of these, in water sufficiently deep for others to come up alongside and disembark the troops.

Secretary Chase accompanied General Wool on the expedition, leaving Fort Monroe about four o'clock A. M. of May 10th.

The troops had gone ahead in the barges during the night, and laid off the proposed landing-place. I reported with my horse and orderly, to go on board, and the General at once asked me: "What are you doing here, sir?"

"I am going with the expedition of course," I answered.

"No, you are not going", said General Wool; "I will take nobody with me who has any doubt of my success".

"Am I to be humiliated, General Wool," I replied, "in consequence of my confidential relations to you? If so, I shall resign from the service."

"No," said he, "you are left in command of the reserves and of this fort, and I will not trust anyone else."

"That is more monstrous than anything else, if you will allow me to suggest it," I said: "I shall obey the order, but I must ask you to leave the Adjutant-General with me."

The Adjutant-General was very indignant at being left behind, but it was so ordered, and he had to remain.

General Wool embarked, and all day long we heard nothing from him. At times we could hear firing and could see some smoke. The President and Secretary of War were almost overcome with anxiety concerning the expedition. They could not but feel that they were in a manner responsible, as they had consented to it.

The whole day passed, and no word came from Norfolk. Evening set in, and when it got to be about nine or ten o'clock I persuaded

the President to go to bed in my own room. I also persuaded Secretary Stanton to retire. He had a bed in my office. I went outside the fort with Captain Rodgers of the Navy, and we went down on the Ordnance wharf. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and there we remained waiting for some news to come.

After a long time I heard a distant sound (as) of paddle-wheels splashing in the water. The sound came nearer and nearer and finally up came a little gunboat, with General Wool and the members of his staff and Secretary Chase on board, and the news that Norfolk was taken-General Huger had run.

The excitement was wonderful. General Wool came up into the fort, and as we approached Headquarters the sentinel challenged, "Who goes there?" The President heard the challenge, and the next thing we saw was six feet of white night shirt at the French window.

"What is it?" asked the President.

"General Wool, to present Norfolk to you," I replied.

"Call up Stanton, and send Wool up here " he said,

I roused up Secretary Stanton and told him: "General Wool has returned, and we have taken Norfolk."

"My God!" he said, and jumped out of bed, and started up stairs in his night-shirt to the President's room.

President Lincoln was sitting on the edge of the bed; General Wool was there in full uniform and all covered with dust, and one or two of his officers were also there. Secretary Stanton rushed impetuously into General Wool's aims in his excitement, and embraced him fervently. The President broke out laughing at seeing the General in full uniform and the Secretary in his night-shirt clasped in each others arms, and said:

"Look out, Mars!-if you don't the General will throw you". Secretary Stanton, with his usual quickness of perception and appreciation, said:

"This is the most important capture that has been made. Its importance nobody can estimate. You should immediately proceed to Norfolk, Mr. President, and issue a proclamation on rebel soil."