"What we need," he said, "is a general who doesn't see double, and we
haven't got him yet. We must spend less time counting the rebels and
more hammering them."
"A civilian in Washington told me that," said Dick. "I believed then
that he was right, and I believe it yet. If General Grant were here he'd
attack instead of waiting to be attacked."
But the Army of the Potomac continued to march forward in a slow and
hesitating fashion. Dick, despite his impatience, appreciated the
position of General McClellan. No one in the Union army or in the North
knew the plans of Lee and Jackson. Lee had not even consulted the
President of the Confederacy but had merely notified him that he was
going into Maryland.
Now Lee and Jackson had melted away again in the mist that so often
overhung their movements. McClellan could not be absolutely sure they
intended an important invasion of Maryland. They might be planning to
fall upon the capital from another direction. The Union commander must
protect Washington and at the same time look for his enemy.
The army marched near the Potomac, and Dick, as he rode with his regiment,
saw McClellan several times.
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