Siege of Washington, D.C Part 6

Never forget, my son, how terrible is the penalty that attaches to treason. But now I must ask you to reaccompany me to another part of the field, that we may see what is going on there. The attack made on our defenses by the rebels was of the feeblest kind. Why this was, some of our officers could not understand. It was evidently made in doubt of the result, and indicated forcibly enough that something was wrong at the rebel headquarters. We want now to see what that was.

While the booming of cannon and the rattle of small arms was going on in the vicinity of Fort Stevens, without any very serious damage to either side (for I may mention here that the rebels kept at a respectful distance from the forts), Generals Early, Ewell, and Breckinridge were enjoying themselves on the sumptuous fare found at Silver Springs and other neighboring plantations. In short, it is a.s.serted that these generals had been short of rations for some days, and were very hungry when they reached the outskirts of Was.h.i.+ngton. It is also a.s.serted that they took themselves to feasting and making merry with their friends; so much so that they had all the cellars and larders of the houses round about examined for bounties to supply their table. And to such an extent was this feasting and merrymaking carried, that General Early quite forgot that he was sent to capture Was.h.i.+ngton, and indeed set such a bad example to his subordinates as to destroy all discipline.

There were two great events in this remarkable siege, my son, and I must tell you what they were. If I do not, you will not get a clear idea of how the siege was carried on by the rebels. The generals (rebel) had not tasted fresh beef for several days, and had a sharp appet.i.te which their commissaries were inclined to gratify. Now, there was on the plantation of Mr. George Riggs, near where these generals had their headquarters, a celebrated Alderney bull, much valued by its owner. Here was a temptation not to be resisted by these commissaries, who had the animal led to slaughter and served up for their masters. Yes, my son, these generals and their staffs banqueted on Mr. Riggs's bull, and were honest enough to confess that they had rarely fared so sumptuously. This is one of the great events. Now to the other. A number of general officers (choice spirits), imitating the example set by their bold superiors, went out on a forage of their own, and coming to the house of the Hon.

Montgomery Blair, put it under a close examination, especially the cellar and larder, which was supposed to be well stored with the choicest. They were disappointed, however, to find that the cellar contained little wine, and were about setting the honorable owner down for a disciple of temperance, when they came upon a barrel of rare old Bourbon whisky.

This discovery caused great rejoicing, the news of it spread far and wide among the officers, and not an order was obeyed for the rest of the day. So you will see, my son, that while the superior generals and their staffs were banqueting on Mr. Riggs's bull, the field officers were besieging their brains with Mr. Blair's choice whisky.

The city was perfectly safe while this state of revelry existed. And I feel, my son, that you will agree with me that Mr. Blair deserves well of his country for supplying his cellar with this remarkable weapon of defense. Let the future historian bear in mind that the War Department can claim no credit for the safety of Was.h.i.+ngton. The credit of saving Was.h.i.+ngton belongs exclusively to Mr. Riggs's bull and Mr. Montgomery Blair's barrel of whisky. They furnished the feast that stole away the brains of General Early's officers, and caused the delay that saved the city.

In fine, my son, I have good military authority for saying that these rebel officers, after their wisdom had been carried away by the whisky, put on ladies' dresses and so conducted themselves that General Early, in order to get them out, and put a stop to the riotous proceedings, was compelled to apply the torch to the house of Mr. Blair. Let this sad result be a warning to all generals, sent to either threaten or capture the capital of a nation.

Have I not satisfied you, my son, that Mr. Davis sent the wrong man to take Was.h.i.+ngton? A more sanguine general, knowing that he had been sent from Richmond to threaten and, if possible, capture Was.h.i.+ngton, and having come so far and routed all the troops sent to oppose him, and arrived within sight of the coveted prize, at a time when he must have known the weakness of the defenses, would have risked an attack in force and would have succeeded. I say he would have succeeded; for, by all the rules of war, the capital ought to have fallen. Let it be remembered also, that during that memorable Tuesday, when the rattle of small arms and the booming of cannon from Fort Stevens were calling patriotic citizens to the front to do their duty, the engineer-in-chief and other of the high officials of the War Department were busy packing up the records of their offices, preparatory to their removal to the gunboats.

The attack, which had been so confidently expected on Tuesday morning, did not take place. General Early and his officers still continued their riotous proceedings near Silver Springs, while his advance line kept our gallant defenders in a state of intense excitement and activity. As hour after hour wore away, however, the anxiety of our people increased, in fear of what might happen.

Then late in the afternoon news came that the brave old Sixth Corps--a terror to rebels everywhere--had arrived. This sent a thrill of joy into many a heart, and shout after shout went up along the line as its cross came in sight. Yes, the old Sixth Corps, with General Wright, had come once more. It was a proud sight to see these men deploy into line of battle, in front of Fort Stevens, their war-worn colors fluttering in the breeze, with that cross so well known to the rebel hosts.

The siege was raised. The rebels recognized that cross, and, knowing what it betokened, fell back rapidly before it, and prepared for a hasty retreat. Confidence was restored to the people. The President thanked the troops and went home in the very best humor. The Secretary of War and the Chief of Staff stopped issuing orders; and the quartermaster's bushwhackers hung up their bill-hooks. The major and brigadier-generals went to congratulating each other on the part they had taken in the defense. At two o'clock on Wednesday morning, an advance was ordered with the two divisions of the Sixth Corps; but when the skirmish line took possession of Silver Springs, there was not a rebel in arms to be seen. General Early had made good speed during the night, and was making the best of his way across the Potomac, and home to his master.

Thus ended the most remarkable siege history has any account of.

And now, my son, I cannot close this history without a few words on the character and conduct of Mr. Jefferson Davis, to whose ambition this siege of our capital was due. It has been said by several of his friends, who have access to the newspapers, that he went into this war not only very reluctantly, but with green spectacles on.

Willing as I am to deal generously with him, and to forgive him each and every one of his sins, and to send him out into the world to seek atonement for them, I cannot share this opinion. And for the reason that I happened to know Mr. Davis in the summer of 1850, when he was the moving spirit of a convention of "Fire-Eaters," that a.s.sembled together at Nashville, Tenn. And I have a slight recollection of a speech he made on that occasion, in which separation by arms was urged, and no love for the Union advanced. I remember also that that speech was rewarded with hisses, notwithstanding the strong dis-union element of the convention. His dislike of the Union and plan for separating the nation, it is well known, had been the besetting sin of his brain for twenty years.

How, then, he could have engaged in this gigantic rebellion with green spectacles on, I cannot just exactly see. It was the ignorant, unreasoning ma.s.ses of the South who were led into the rebellion with green spectacles on, not men like Mr. Davis. But, my son, never strike a man when he is down; that is the work of cowards. Let us give Mr. Davis credit for such virtues as he had, and for the manner in which he exerted them in keeping life and strength in the government he attempted to set up. In connection with the rebellion, we had to deal with Mr. Davis more in his character as a soldier than a statesman. Mr. Davis was undoubtedly an able soldier. He was the head and front, the very life and soul of the men in the South.

Born to those qualities of pride, self-esteem, and self-will, all of which produce confidence in the possessor, he grew up feeling himself superior, as he was, to the ordinary men of his age. He inherited at the same time great fixedness of purpose and determination; and so prominent were these traits of his character, that they impressed every one who came in contact with him.

These, my son, were the attributes that gave wings to the man's ambition and found him aspiring to one of the high places in the temple of fame. The nation gave him a thorough military education at West Point, and he afterwards learned the practical duties of a soldier in the Black Hawk war. On the return of peace, he resigned and sought distinction in political life. He had succeeded in reaching the House of Representatives when the war with Mexico broke out, and he resigned and again went to the field. And, notwithstanding what has been said to the contrary, he won great distinction in this war. Military men everywhere did him justice.

The "Mississippi Rifles" will be remembered as long as the battle of Buena Vista.

At the close of the war he again relinquished the sword, and was sent to the United States Senate, where he was made chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs. His highest ambition was to s.h.i.+ne as a statesman. He afterwards served four years as Secretary of War, and then returned to the Senate, where the rebellion found him elevated to the chairmans.h.i.+p of the Committee of Military Affairs.

His education, his services in the army, his position as Secretary of War, and in the Senate, enabled him to become thoroughly acquainted with our army, with its customs, its laws, its material, its wants, and, above all, the character of its officers. He was, perhaps, better acquainted with these things than any other man in the United States. Nor was he deficient in knowledge of the character of leading, public men at the North and West. What he had not studied well, however, was the character and the patriotism of the people of those sections of our country.

It was the ripe fruit of this knowledge, then, that Mr. Davis applied in each department of the rebel government; and it was this that made him of such incalculable value to the rebellion. We have seen and even admired the power with which he wielded the scanty resources of the South. And we have seen the wisdom which he displayed from the very first in the section of his generals. With rare exceptions, he put the right man in the right place. He knew the importance of placing soldiers in command, when soldiers' duty was to be performed. It would have been fortunate for us if we had exercised similar wisdom. When the rebellion began, there was no man in the South to have taken the place of Mr. Davis. It is not too much to say that had he remained loyal to his country, and been elevated to the command of our armies when the war began, he would have quickly crushed out the rebellion. With his grasp of mind, and his iron will, he would have so wielded the great resources of the North and West, that the rebellion would have been crushed in a year from its birth. And this was the man our authorities at Was.h.i.+ngton supposed would not, or could not, attack the capital after it had been stripped of its proper garrison. Let the truth be told: Davis was not the man to let such a blunder go unnoticed.