Friday, March 28,
1862.
I think I wrote you that on Tuesday we had a grand review of
the whole of the First Army Corps. Yesterday we had another, for the benefit of
Lord Lyons and some English officers, to which, although the generals of
McCall's Division were invited to be present, the division did not appear.
General McDowell's reason for its exclusion was that the ground was limited,
and that he found it took too much time to review three divisions, and
therefore he only ordered two on the ground. Our fellows, though, are of the
opinion that he did not consider them sufficiently presentable for his English
friends; and some little feeling has been excited by his course, particularly
as he has had the bad taste to come out to-day with an order extolling the
troops for their yesterday's appearance, and announcing that the English
officers pronounced them equal to any troops in the world. I was quite
satisfied with the inspection of the appearance and movements of the men, that
our Pennsylvania ragamuffins are fully equal to them, though in some few
instances, like Phil Kearney's brigade (who had spent a mint of money on them),
their uniforms were in rather better order. Our fellows console themselves with
the reflection that the only troops in the First Army Corps that have beaten
the enemy in a fair field, with equal numbers, are the Pennsylvania
ragamuffins, whereas of the divisions deemed worthy to be presented to the Englishmen
the greater portion were regiments who either did nothing or else behaved
shamefully at Bull Run.
At the review yesterday McClellan appeared on the ground,
and though he did not review the troops, yet he rode around after McDowell and
his cortege. It would have done your heart good to have heard the shouts
the men gave and the enthusiasm they exhibited when they saw him. I really
believe he has the hearts of the soldiers with him.
SOURCE: George Meade, The Life and Letters of George
Gordon Meade, Vol. 1, p. 254-5
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