ong the one campaign people;
but their own argument--that, if received for the war, the troops would
get home before their proposed twelve months expired--was unanswerable.
Now, when the same arguments were used to enforce the passage of the
Conscription Act, the enemies that Mr. Davis had by this time gathered
around him, little recked that in their wisdom, they were quoting him.

This transfer to the Confederate Government covered _all_ the troops of
the several states, except the militia. This, of course, remained under
the authority of their respective governors.

Naturally, with the addition to the force originally contemplated by
"the assembled wisdom of the land," the five brigadier-generals allowed
by Congress proved totally inadequate. A law had subsequently been
forced from them, granting the appointment of five _generals_--a rank
paramount to that of field-marshal in European armies--of the regular
army, who were to command volunteers; and allowing the President to
appoint such number of brigadiers of volunteers as the necessities of
the service demanded.

There had been little hesitancy in the selection of the generals--all
of them men who had served with distinction in the army of the United
States; and who had promptly left it to cast their lot with the new
Government. So little difference could be found in their claims for
precedence, that the dates of their old commissions decided it. They
were Samuel Cooper, Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee, Joseph E.
Johnston and Pierre G. T. Beauregard.

These nominations had been received with unanimity by the Senate, and
with profound satisfaction by the people. Had fitness and right been
consulted equally in other appointments, much priceless blood might
have been saved to the South.

Still, at the time, it was believed that the commissions of brigadier
of volunteers were conferred upon the most meritorious of the resigned
officers; or, where there was reason to hope good results to the
service--upon the best of those men the troops had chosen as
commanders. Strong pressure was, of course, brought to bear upon the
President, regarding these appointments; but the verdict of army and
people was that _these first_ selections were made with as much
judgment and impartiality as the untried state of the army permitted.

But fifteen months' quiet endurance of hardship, danger and doubt; the
universal wail from homes that had never before known, a dark hour, but