Had a telegram at ten last night from Mr. Felton, President
of the Philadelphia & Baltimore Railroad, requesting that a gunboat
might be sent to Havre de Grace to protect the Company's ferryboat and
property. Says he has information that the Rebels intend going down the river
to seize it.
I went forthwith to the War Department to ascertain whether
there was really any such alarming necessity, for it seemed to me, from all I
had been able to learn, that it was a panic invocation. Found the President and
Stanton at the War Department, jubilant over intelligence just received that no
Rebels had reached Carlisle, as had been reported, and it was believed they had
not even entered Pennsylvania. Stanton threw off his reserve, and sneered and
laughed at Felton's call for a gunboat. Soon a messenger came in from General
Schenck, who declares no Rebels have crossed the Potomac, that the stragglers
and baggage-trains of Milroy had run away in affright, and squads of them, on
different parallel roads, had alarmed each other, and each fled in terror with
all speed to Harrisburg. This alone was asserted to be the basis of the great
panic which had alarmed Pennsylvania and the country.
The President was relieved and in excellent spirits. Stanton
was apparently feeling well, but I could not assure myself he was wholly
relieved of the load which had been hanging upon him. The special messenger
brought a letter to Stanton, which he read, but was evidently unwilling to
communicate its contents, even to the President, who asked about it. Stanton
wrote a few lines, which he gave to the officer, who left. General Meigs came
in about this time, and I was sorry to hear Stanton communicate an exaggerated
account of Milroy's disaster, who, he said, had not seen a fight or even an
enemy. Meigs indignantly denied the statement, and said Milroy himself had
communicated the fact that he had fought a battle and escaped. While he (Meigs)
did not consider Milroy a great general, or a man of very great ability, he
believed him to be truthful and brave, and if General Schenck's messenger said
there had been no fight he disbelieved him. Stanton insisted that was what the officer
(whom I think he called Payson) said. I told him I did not so understand the
officer. The subject was then dropped; but the conversation gave me uneasiness.
Why should the Secretary of War wish to misrepresent and belittle Milroy? Why
exaggerate the false rumor and try to give currency to, if he did not
originate, the false statement that there was no fight and a panic flight?
The President was in excellent humor. He said this flight
would be a capital joke for Orpheus C. Kerr to get hold of. He could give scope
to his imagination over the terror of broken squads of panic-stricken
teamsters, frightened at each other and alarming all Pennsylvania. Meigs, with
great simplicity, inquired who this person (Orpheus C. Kerr) was. “Why,” said
the President, “have you not read those papers? They are in two volumes; any
one who has not read them must be a heathen.” He said he had enjoyed them
greatly, except when they attempted to play their wit on him, which did not
strike him as very successful, but rather disgusted him. “Now the hits that are
given to you, Mr. Welles, or to Chase, I can enjoy, but I dare say they may
have disgusted you while I was laughing at them. So vice versa as
regards myself.” He then spoke of a poem by this Orpheus C. Kerr which
mythologically described McClellan as a monkey fighting a serpent representing
the Rebellion, but the joke was the monkey continually called for “more tail,” “more
tail,” which Jupiter gave him, etc., etc.
SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles,
Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 1: 1861 – March 30,
1864, p. 332-3
No comments:
Post a Comment