nd was quietly raised in a gesture of command and he sank into
his seat.

Five minutes more passed and the sound of approaching footsteps were
heard quickly, firmly pressed with military precision.

The President nodded:

"You see, my son!"

But instead of the General the handsome figure of his aide, John
Vaughan, appeared in the doorway:

"The General begs me to say, Mr. President, that he is too much fatigued
to see any one this evening and has retired for the night."

The orderly stepped pompously to the door to usher them out and John
Vaughan bowed and returned to his commander.

Hay sprang to his feet livid with rage and spoke to his Chief with
boyish indignation.

"You are not going to take this insult from him?"

The tall figure slowly rose and stood in silence.

"Remove him from his command," the younger man pleaded. "For God's sake
do it now. Write the order for his removal this minute--give it to me!
I'll kick his door open and hand it to him."

The deep set dreamy eyes were turned within as he said in slow intense
tones:

"No--I'll hold McClellan's horse for him if he'll give us one victory!"

CHAPTER XXI

THE BLOODIEST DAY

The struggle opened with disaster for the Union army. Though Lee's plan
of campaign fell by accident into McClellan's hands, it was too late to
frustrate the first master stroke. Relying on Jackson's swift,
bewildering marches, Lee, in hostile territory and confronted by twice
his numbers, suddenly divided his army and hurled Jackson's corps
against Harper's Ferry. The garrison, after a futile struggle of two
days, surrendered twelve thousand five hundred and twenty men and their
vast stores of war material.

The contrast between General White, the Federal officer in command who
surrendered, and Jackson, his conqueror, was strikingly dramatic. The
Union General rode a magnificent black horse, was carefully dressed in
shining immaculate uniform--gloves, boots and sword spotless. The
Confederate General sat carelessly on his little shaggy sorrel, dusty,
travel-stained and carelessly dressed.

The curiosity of the Union army which had surrendered was keen to see
the famous fighter. The entire twelve thousand prisoners of war lined
the road as Jackson silently rode by.

A voice from the crowd expressed the universal feeling as they gazed:

"Boys, he ain't much for looks, but, by God, if we'd had him we
wouldn't have been caught in this trap!"

The first shoc