"
Dick noticed that the colonel put emphasis on the "if" and his heart sank
a little. But it soon rose again. The Army of the Potomac was now a
veteran body. It had been tested in the fire of defeat, and it had
emerged stronger and braver than ever.
But Dick did not like the mystery about Lee and Jackson. They had an
extraordinary ability to drop out of sight, to draw a veil before them
so completely that no Union scout or skirmisher could penetrate it. And
these disappearances were always full of sinister omens, portending a
terrible attack from an unknown quarter. But when Dick looked upon the
great and brave Army of the Potomac, nearly a hundred thousand strong,
his apprehensions disappeared. The Army of the Potomac could not be
beaten, and since Lee and Jackson were venturing so far from their base,
they might be destroyed. He confided his faith to Pennington who rode
beside him.
"I tell you, Frank, old man," he said, "the Southern army may never get
back into Virginia."
"Not if we light a prairie fire behind it and set another in front.
Then we'll have 'em trapped same as they trapped us at Manassas.
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