I do not believe that any
commander-in-chief ever learns much as to the excellence or
deficiencies of his troops by watching their manoeuvres on a vast
open space; but I felt sure that General McClellan had learned
nothing on this occasion.
If before his review he did not know
whether his men were good as soldiers, he did not possess any such
knowledge after the review. If the matter may be regarded as a
review of the general - if the object was to show him off to the men,
that they might know how well he rode, and how grand he looked with
his staff of forty or fifty officers at his heels, then this review
must be considered as satisfactory. General McClellan does ride
very well. So much I learned, and no more.
It was necessary to have a pass for crossing the Potomac either from
one side or from the other, and such a pass I procured from a friend
in the War-office, good for the whole period of my sojourn in
Washington. The wording of the pass was more than ordinarily long,
as it recommended me to the special courtesy of all whom I might
encounter; but in this respect it was injurious to me rather than
otherwise, as every picket by whom I was stopped found it necessary
to read it to the end. The paper was almost invariably returned to
me without a word; but the musket which was not unfrequently kept
extended across my horse's nose by the reader's comrade would be
withdrawn, and then I would ride on to the next barrier.
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