Wednesday, April 8, 1863.Falmouth, VA. | During a visit to the Army of the Potomac's headquarters, President Lincoln "reviews . . . some sixty thousand men," representing four infantry corps.
Journalist Noah Brooks accompanies Lincoln's party, and recalls, "[I]t was a
splendid sight to witness their grand martial array as they wound over hills
and rolling ground, coming from miles around . . . The President expressed
himself as delighted with the appearance of the soldiery . . . It was
noticeable that the President merely touched his hat in return salute to the
officers, but uncovered to the men in the ranks." Noah
Brooks, Washington in Lincoln's Time
(New York: Rinehart & Company, 1958), 51-55; Evening Star (Washington, DC), 10 April 1863, 2d ed., 2:1. Telegraphs Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles that Richmond papers report: 1. "'Important movements are taking
place here; but for military reasons no particulars can yet be telegraphed;'"
2. "'On yesterday morning eight Monitors and ironclads were off the bar at
Charleston. . . . May Heaven shield Charleston from all the rage of her enemies
and ours.' " Abraham Lincoln to Gideon Welles, 8
April 1863, CW, 6:165-66. |