Saturday morning, the 30th of August, I rode out into the
country and turned in at the Soldiers' Home. The President's horse was standing
by the door, and in a moment the President appeared, and we rode into town
together.
We talked about the state of things by Bull Run and P[ope]
's prospect. The President was very outspoken in regard to McC 's present conduct.
He said that it really seemed to him McC wanted P defeated. He mentioned to me
a despatch of McC[lellan] 's in which he proposed, as one plan of action, to
"leave P[ope] to get out of his own scrape and devote ourselves to
securing Washington." He spoke also of Mc[Clellan] 's dreadful panic in
the matter of Chain Bridge, which he had ordered blown up the night before, but
which order had been countermanded; and also of his incomprehensible
interference with Franklin's Corps which he recalled once, and then, when they
had been sent ahead by H[alleck]'s order, begged permission to recall them
again; and only desisted after H[alleck]'s sharp injunction to push them ahead
till they whipped something, or got whipped themselves. The President seemed to
think him a little crazy. Envy, jealousy and spite are probably a better
explanation of his present conduct. He is constantly sending despatches to the
President and H asking what is his real position and command. He acts as chief
alarmist and grand marplot of the army.
The President, on my asking if H[alleck] had any prejudices,
rejoined : — "No! H[alleck] is wholly for the service. He does not care
who succeeds or who fails, so the service is benefited."
Later in the day we were in H[alleck]'s room. H[alleck] was
at dinner and S[tanton] came in while we were waiting for him, and carried us
off to dinner. A pleasant little dinner and a pretty wife as white and cold and
motionless as marble, whose rare smiles seemed to pain her. S[tanton] was loud
about the McC[lellan] business. He was unqualifiedly severe upon McC[lellan] .
He said that after these battles there should be one court-martial, if never
any more. He said that nothing but foul play could lose us this battle, and
that it rested with McC[lellan] and his friends. S[tanton] seemed to believe
very strongly in P[ope]. So did the President, for that matter.
We went back to the Headquarters and found Gen'l H[alleck] .
He seemed quiet and somewhat confident. He said the greatest battle of the
century was now being fought. He said he had sent every man that could go to
the field. At the War Department we found that Mr. S[tanton] had sent a vast
army of volunteer nurses out to the field, probably utterly useless, over which
he gave Gen'l W___ command.
Everything seemed to be going well and hilarious on
Saturday, and we went to bed expecting glad tidings at sunrise. But about eight
o'clock the President came to my room as I was dressing, and calling me out, said:
— “Well, John, we are whipped again, I am afraid. The enemy reinforced on P[ope]
and drove back his left wing, and he has retired to Centreville where he says
he will be able to hold his men. I don't like that expression. I don't like to
hear him admit that his men need holding."
After awhile, however, things began to look better, and,
people's spirits rose as the heavens cleared. The President was in a singularly
defiant tone of mind. He often repeated, "We must hurt this enemy before
it gets away." And this morning, Monday, (September 1), he said to me,
when I made a remark in regard to the bad look of things: — “No, Mr. Hay, we must whip these people now. P[ope]
must fight them; if they are too strong for him he can gradually retire to
these fortifications. If this be not so, — if we are really whipped, and to be
whipped, we may as well stop fighting."
It is due in great measure to his indomitable will that army
movements have been characterized by such energy and celerity for the last few
days. There is one man who seems thoroughly to reflect and satisfy him in
everything he undertakes. This is H[aupt], the Railroad man at Alexandria. He
has, as C___ says, a Major General's head on his shoulders. The President is
particularly struck with the business-like character of his despatch, telling
in the fewest words the information most sought for, which contrasted so
strongly with the weak, whining, and incorrect despatches of the whilom
General-in-Chief. If heads or shoulder straps could be exchanged, it would be a
good thing, in either case, here. A good railroader would be spoiled, but the
General gained would compensate. The corps of H[aupt] starting from Alexandria,
have acted as pioneers, advance-guard, voltigeurs, and every other light
infantry arm of the service.
SOURCES: John Hay, Letters
of John Hay and Extracts From Diary, Volume 1, p. 60-4; Haper’s Monthly Magazine, Vol. 130,
No.775, December 1914, p. 95.
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