physical energy sank during the
second act of this drama. He began with really masterly moves, speedily
placing his wary adversary at the saddest disadvantage. But, having
attained this height, his power seemed to pass away as from an
over-tasked mind. With twice the weight of arm, and as keen a blade, he
appeared quite unable to parry a single lunge of Lee's, quite unable to
thrust himself. He allowed his corps commanders to be beaten in detail,
with no apparent effort to aid them from his abundant resources, the
while his opponent was demanding from every man in his command the last
ounce of his strength. And he finally retired, dazed and weary, across
the river he had so ably and boastingly placed behind him ten days
before, against the opinion of nearly all his subordinates; for in this
case the conditions were so plain that even an informal council of war
advised a fight.

With character-study, however, this sketch has nothing to do. It is
confined to describing events, and suggesting queries for the curious in
military history.

II. CONDITION OF THE COMBATANTS.

The first two years of civil strife had closed. The American people,
which so far had shown more aptness at learning than skill in waging
war, may be said to have passed through its apprenticeship in arms.
The broad plan of operations, intelligently but rudely conceived at the
outset by the greater spirits among our commanders, began to be more
clearly grasped. The political strategy of both contestants made
Virginia the field on which the left wing of the Federal armies pivoted,
while the right swung farther and farther south and east, and the
Confederates gallantly struggled for every foot of territory, yielding
only to the inexorable. This right wing had already possession of the
Mississippi as far south as Vicksburg, around which place Grant
was preparing to tighten his coils; it had occupied the line of the
Tennessee River, and had rendered useless to the Confederates the
railroad from Memphis to Chattanooga, which had been the great central
artery between Richmond and the trans-Mississippi States. The Southern
partisans, with Morgan and Forrest as typical chiefs, had up to this
period played, in the West especially, a very important part. They as
much exceeded our cavalry in enterprise as they had advantage over it in
knowledge of the country and in assistance from its population. They
had on more than one occasion tapped the too long and