General George was on the banks of the James River, with his army, pointing with his sword toward Richmond, as the heart of the rebellion, and offering to take it for us if we would only send him twenty-five thousand fresh men, which very reasonable proposal we declined.  Indeed the general we had placed in the easy chair at Washington, over George, declared it as his solemn conviction that Richmond was not to be taken in any such way.  That an army so near Richmond could not take it with advantage.  That objective points must be reached over the right road, not the wrong one.  That General George, having taken his army to Richmond over the wrong road, must bring it back over the same wrong road, and then proceed on his travels over the right road.  That Richmond, unless approached over the right road could not be taken in the right way.  That General George had deceived us, inasmuch as his plan had too much strategy in it, and not enough straight lines.  That Richmond, to be taken in the right way, must be taken by a new general, with a new army, and according to new ideas.  That it was better to keep Washington from being taken than to take Richmond, though we had a large army knocking at its gates.  This was the military logic of our new Commander-in-Chief.  And this was the great Commander-in-Chief who was to conduct the war for us on enlarged principles and keep the nation safe against blunders.

This great general, then, when he had got comfortably settled in his easy chair, must needs show the people what faith he had in his new plan.  So he ordered little George to pack up his baggage, stop knocking at the enemy’s back door, and bring his army back to Washington on transports.  Of course the rebels were very thankful to him for this act of kindness, as it evinced a disposition to conduct the war for their benefit.  With General George and his army on their way to Washington by ship, Richmond was no longer besieged.  And then the rebel army was at liberty to go where it pleased.  And it very soon pleased General Lee to march it against Washington at a rapid pace, and over the shortest road.  We had an army at sea, and a number of others we did not know just exactly where.  So things military began to get so confused that the people did not understand them.  They were requested to be patient, however, and patient they had to be.

Well, my son, we brought the scattered battalions we had on their front together at the forts, and soon formed a good fighting army.  But where was the new general to lead it to victory for us?  The government cast about it for a man, and at last fixed its eye on Pope.  He was the shining star among generals, the man to take the buckrum out of the rebels for us.  And it was said of this great general that he possessed uncommon virtues.  His friends laid numerous feats of valor at his door, and the whole history of war was ransacked to find another such a hero.  He had captured Islands, whipped rebel armies (I have forgotten how many), and bagged invisible prisoners enough to satisfy a Napoleon.  This great general, too, was remarkable for his modesty; and he was also a man of strict veracity.  Yes, my son, considering the times, he was a rare example of a man who never boasts of his achievements, nor claims a feather that belongs to another man’s cap.  Such were the virtues of this great general.