pected to fight a great battle
on the way thither, for the enemy could not fail to read the meaning of
his movements. McClellan reasoned that this battle would take place
between West Point and Richmond, and his intention was to advance
without delay to the former position and use it as his chief depot for
supplies. His plan was to make a combined naval and military attack on
Yorktown, send a strong force up the York River, aided by the gunboats,
and thus establish his new base of operations within twenty-five miles
of the Confederate capital.

It was not long before he began calling for reinforcements, and the
government, instead of aiding him, took away piecemeal many of the
troops upon which the commander had counted to aid him in his campaign.
He wanted 150,000 men and a large increase of cannon. The 10,000 men,
composing Blenker's division, were detached, as the President informed
him, to support Fremont, but Mr. Lincoln promised to withdraw no more
from the main army.

McClellan remained at his headquarters near Alexandria until most of his
forces were well on the road to the Yorktown peninsula. He left on the
1st of April and the troops were landed three days later. Then a force
of 56,000 men with 100 guns started for Yorktown.

But for the inherent timidity and distrust of McClellan, he might have
captured Richmond, by marching straight ahead to the city, for the
Confederate force opposed to him was but a fragment of his own, and
could have been trampled underfoot. The Confederate intrenchments were a
dozen miles in length, and were defended by Magruder with a force that
allowed less than a thousand men for each mile.

Instead of pushing on, McClellan began a regular siege of Yorktown.
Immense siege guns were dragged through the muddy swamps, and the musket
was laid aside for the spade and shovel, which the men applied week
after week, until worn out and with thousands prostrated by sickness.
The delay, as a matter of course, was improved by the Confederates in
strengthening the defenses of their capital. At the end of a month, the
Union army advanced, whereupon Magruder fell back to other
fortifications nearer Richmond. The whole month had been worse than
thrown away by McClellan, for it had given the enemy all the time they
needed to complete their defenses.

The Confederate army was increased, and reinforcements were sent to
McClellan, whose forces were fully 20,000 in excess of those under
Johnston, bu