FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   444   445   446   447   448   449   450   451   452   453   454   455   456   457   458   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468  
469   470   471   472   473   474   475   476   477   478   479   480   481   482   483   484   485   486   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   >>   >|  
about Washington, to wit: the Army of the Potomac; Burnside's troops that had come up from North Carolina; what remained of Pope's Army of Virginia; and the large reinforcements from fresh levies, constantly and rapidly pouring in. [This was probably about the time of the occurrence of an amusing incident, touching Lincoln, McClellan, and the fortifications around Washington, afterward told by General J. G. Barnard, then Chief of Engineers on the staff of General George B. McClellan. --See New York Tribune, October 21, 1885. It seems that the fortifications having been completed, McClellan invited Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet to inspect them. "On the day appointed," said Barnard, "the Inspection commenced at Arlington, to the Southwest of Washington, and in front of the Enemy. We followed the line of the works southerly, and recrossed the Potomac to the easterly side of the river, and continued along the line easterly of Washington and into the heaviest of all the fortifications on the northerly side of Washington. When we reached this point the President asked General McClellan to explain the necessity of so strong a fortification between Washington and the North. "General McClellan replied: 'Why, Mr. President, according to Military Science it is our duty to guard against every possible or supposable contingency that may arise. For example, if under any circumstances, however fortuitous, the Enemy, by any chance or freak, should, in a last resort, get in behind Washington, in his efforts to capture the city, why, there the fort is to defend it.' "'Yes, that's so General,' said the President; 'the precaution is doubtless a wise one, and I'm glad to get so clear an explanation, for it reminds me of an interesting question once discussed for several weeks in our Lyceum, or Moot Court, at Springfield, Ill., soon after I began reading law.' "'Ah!' says General McClellan. 'What question was that, Mr. President?' "'The question,' Mr. Lincoln replied, 'was, "Why does man have breasts?"' and he added that after many evenings' debate, the question was submitted to the presiding Judge, who wisely decided 'That if under any circumstances, however fortuitous, or by any chance or freak, no matter of what nature or by what cause, a man should have a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   444   445   446   447   448   449   450   451   452   453   454   455   456   457   458   459   460   461   462   463   464   465   466   467   468  
469   470   471   472   473   474   475   476   477   478   479   480   481   482   483   484   485   486   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Washington

 

General

 

McClellan

 
question
 

President

 
fortifications
 

Lincoln

 
Barnard
 

fortuitous

 

chance


easterly

 

circumstances

 

Potomac

 

replied

 
defend
 
capture
 
supposable
 

contingency

 

resort

 

efforts


evenings
 

debate

 

breasts

 
submitted
 

presiding

 

matter

 

nature

 

decided

 
wisely
 
explanation

reminds
 

interesting

 
doubtless
 

discussed

 
reading
 

Springfield

 

Lyceum

 

precaution

 

afterward

 

amusing


incident

 

touching

 

Engineers

 

Tribune

 

October

 

George

 

occurrence

 
Carolina
 

remained

 

Burnside