where
iron-clad ships first met in battle, and where some famous combats took
place.

Over these three regions a million and more of men struggled for years,
fighting with rifle and cannon, with sword and bayonet, killing and
wounding one another and causing no end of misery in all parts of the
land. For the people at home suffered as much as the men on the
battle-field, and many mothers and sisters were heartbroken when word
came to them that their dear sons or brothers had been shot down on the
field of blood. War is the most terrible thing upon the earth, though
men try to make it look like a pleasant show with their banners and
trumpets and drums.

As soon as the news of the war came there was a great coming and going
of soldiers, and beating of drums, and fluttering of banners, and making
of speeches, and thousands marched away, some to Washington and some to
Richmond, and many more to the strongholds of the West. Mothers wept as
they bade good-by to their sons, whom they might never see again. And
many of the soldier-boys had sad hearts under their brave faces. Soon
hundreds of these poor fellows were falling dead and wounded on fields
of battle, and then their people at home had good reason to weep and
mourn.

I have told you about the battle of Bull Run, south of Washington, the
first great battle of the war. Here the Southern army gained the
victory, and the people of the South were full of joy. But Congress now
called for half a million of men and voted half a billion of dollars.
Both sides saw that they had a great war before them.

Bull Run was the only severe battle in 1861, but in 1862 both the North
and the South had large armies, and there was much hard fighting in the
East and the West.

I must tell you first of the fighting in Virginia. General George B.
McClellan was in command of the Union army there. He led it down close
to Richmond, which he hoped to capture. There was a sharp fight at a
place called Fair Oaks, where General Joseph Johnston, the Confederate
general, was wounded. General Robert E. Lee took his place. They could
not have picked out a better man, for he proved himself to be one of the
greatest soldiers of modern times.

The Confederates had another fine general named Thomas J. Jackson. He
was called "Stonewall" Jackson, because, in the battle of Bull Run, some
one had said:

"Look at Jackson! There he stands like a stone wall!"

General Lee and Stonewall Jackson were not t