d had another trial to their nerves
early in July. The Northern General Sigel, who commanded in the lower
part of the Shenandoah Valley, protecting the Baltimore and Ohio Railway,
had marched southward in June in pursuance of a subsidiary part of
Grant's scheme, but in a careless and rather purposeless manner. General
Early, detached by Lee to deal with him, defeated him; outmanoeuvred and
defeated General Hunter, who was sent to supersede him; overwhelmed with
superior force General Lew Wallace, who stood in his way further on; and
upon July 11 appeared before Washington itself. The threat to Washington
had been meant as no more than a threat, but the garrison was largely
made up of recruits; reinforcements to it sent back by Grant arrived only
on the same day as Early, and if that enterprising general had not wasted
some previous days there might have been a chance that he could get into
Washington, though not that he could hold it. As it was he attacked one
of the Washington forts. Lincoln was present, exhibiting, till the
officers there insisted on his retiring, the indifference to personal
danger which he showed on other occasions too. The attack was soon given
up, and in a few days Early had escaped back across the Potomac, leaving
in Grant's mind a determination that the Shenandoah Valley should cease
to be so useful to the South.

Sherman set out from Chattanooga on the day when Grant crossed the
Rapidan. Joseph Johnston barred his way in one entrenched position after
another. Sherman, with greater caution than Grant, or perhaps with
greater facilities of ground, manoeuvred him out of each position in
turn, pushing him slowly back along the line of the railway towards
Atlanta, the great manufacturing centre of Georgia, one hundred and
twenty miles south by east from Chattanooga. Only once, towards the end
of June at Kenesaw Mountain, some twenty miles north of Atlanta, did he
attack Johnston's entrenchments, causing himself some unnecessary loss
and failing in his direct attack on them, but probably thinking it
necessary to show that he would attack whenever needed. Johnston has
left a name as a master of defensive warfare, and doubtless delayed and
hampered Sherman as much as he could. Jefferson Davis angrily and
unwisely sent General Hood to supersede him. This less prudent officer
gave battle several times, bringing up the Confederate loss before
Atlanta fell to 34,000 against 30,000 on the other s