e, who knew them,
upon General Scott, then commanding the Armies of the United States,
and upon General McClellan, then Commander of the Army of the Potomac.

The men of the Regiment, like all of the troops in the East at that
time, were untrained by battle, never having heard the sound of a
hostile bullet, and were of no more value as soldiers than were the
Militia Regiments. Soldiers are not soldiers until they have been long
enough together to have acquaintance with and respect for their
officers, and have learned obedience with a belief in discipline, with
a willingness to abide by it. The earlier Battle of Bull Run, which
became a rout for want of discipline, proved nothing and taught nothing
except the after-thought of the necessity of discipline.

Up to this time (1861), the important arms of Cavalry and Artillery had
been almost entirely neglected, most of the Cavalry not yet being armed
or equipped.

General McClellan, who was in command when we joined the Army of the
Potomac, was a thoroughly educated soldier. Soon after his graduation
from West Point, he was employed in the construction of the first
Pacific Railway. Later he was selected as one of a Commission to study
the Art of War in Europe. For a time he was with the Allied Armies in
the Crimean War, with every possibility of instructing himself in siege
operations, construction of military bridges and use of pontoons, and
the accepted order of battle for the different arms of the service.
Always occupied with matters of large importance, and with all these
military experiences, he became the best equipped man for the command
of the Union Army. General McClellan was the most popular Commander
that the Army ever had. The men thoroughly believed in him. Certainly
the country owed much to him for the thorough organization of the Army,
which enabled less qualified Commanders, (before the time of Meade and
Grant), to accomplish something with it.

The Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment was attached to General Stone's
Corps of Observation, and was encamped near Edward's Ferry on the
Potomac River, some three miles from Ball's Bluff. General Stone was an
accomplished soldier and we all respected him as such.

We were part of the Brigade of General F. W. Lander. I had known him
well in Salem, where our families resided. He had had a most
adventurous life as an explorer, having once crossed the continent from
San Francisco to the East, alone, his companion havi