90 



CAIRO. 



broke up his camp at Bunker Hill and retired 

 upon "Winchester and strongly intrenched him- 

 self. On the afternoon of the 17th he took the 

 road to Berry's Ford, on the Shenandoah, and 

 thence to> Piedmont station, on the Manassas 

 Gap Railroad, fifteen miles, making twenty- 

 eight miles in two days, thence from Piedmont 

 to Manassas Junction by railroad, about thirty- 

 eight miles. The last of his force arrived on 

 the battle-field in the afternoon. There can be 

 no doubt these reenforcemeuts saved the Con- 

 federate army from a total defeat. 



The term of Gen. Patterson's command ex- 

 pired with the time of the three-months volun- 

 teers, when he retired from active service. No 

 investigation has ever been made of the circum- 

 stances, nor explanation given beyond what was 

 made by Gen. Patterson in a public speech soon 

 after. He said: " On the 9th of July a council 

 was held, at which all the commanders of divi- 

 sions and brigades, and chiefs of staff, were pres- 

 ent. Col. Stone, the junior line officer, spoke 

 twice and decidedly against an advance, advocat- 

 ing a direct movement to Shephardstown and 

 Charlestown. All who spoke opposed an ad- 

 vance, and all voted against it. On the same 

 day he infonned the General-in-Chief of the con- 

 dition of affairs in the valley, and proposed that 

 he should go to Charlestown and occupy Harper's 

 Ferry, and asked to be informed when he would 

 attack Manassas. On the 12th he was directed 

 to go where he had proposed, and informed 

 tlia.fr Manassas would be attacked on Tuesday, 

 the 16th. On the 13th he was telegraphed: 

 ' If not strong enough to beat the enemy early 

 next week, make demonstrations so as to detain 

 him in the valley of Winchester.' He made 

 the demonstrations, and on the 16th, the day 

 General Scott said he would attack Manassas, 

 he drove the enemy's pickets into his intrench- 

 ments at "Winchester, and on the 17th marched 

 to Charlestown. 



" On the 13th he telegraphed the General-in- 

 Chief that Johnston was in a position to have 

 his strength doubled just as he could reach him, 

 and that he would rather lose the chance of ac- 

 complishing something brilliant than by hazard- 

 ing his column, to destroy the fruits of the 

 campaign by defeat, closing his despatch thus : 

 ' If wrong, let me be instructed.' But no in- 

 structions came. This was eight days before 

 the battle of Manassas. On the 17th General 

 Scott telegraphed: 'McDowell's first day's 

 work has driven the enemy beyond Fairfax 

 Court House. To-morrow, probably, the Junc- 

 tion will be carried.' "With this information 

 he was happy. Johnston had been detained 

 the appointed time, and the work of Gen. Pat- 

 terson's column had been done. 



" On the 18th, at half-past one in the morning, 

 he telegraphed Gen. Scott the condition of the 

 enemy's force and of his own, referring to his 

 letter of the 16th for full information, and 

 closed the despatch by asking ' Shall I attack? ' 

 This was plain English, and could not be mis- 

 understood, but he received no reply. He ex- 

 pected to be attacked where he was ; and if 

 Manassas was not to be attacked on that day, 

 as stated in General Scott's despatch of the day 

 previous, he ought to have been ordered down 

 forthwith to join in the battle, and the attack 

 delayed until he came. He could have been 

 there on the day that the battle was fought, 

 and his assistance might have produced a differ- 

 ent result. 



"On the 20th he heard that Johnston had 

 marched with thirty-five thousand Confederate 

 troops and a large artillery force, in a south- 

 easterly direction. He immediately telegraphed 

 the information to General Scott, and knew 

 that he received it the same day. 



" In accordance with instructions, he came to 

 Harper's Ferry on the 21st, which place he 

 held until relieved." 



C 



CAIRO is situated at the southern extremity 

 of the State of Illinois, on a point of land formed 

 by the confluence of the Ohio and the Missis- 

 sippi rivers. It is one hundred and seventy -five 

 miles below St. Louis. 



The ground immediately above the city, as 

 far as the crossing of Cache River, about one 

 mile, is low, and flooded at high water, com- 

 pletely insulating Cairo. At such times the 

 only land communication with the back coun- 

 try is by the causeway of the Illinois Central 

 railroad ; but much of the year, at least ten 

 months out of the twelve, the ground is dry, 

 and good communications can be made with 

 the interior of the State by ordinary roads. 

 Six miles above Cairo, on the line of the Illinois 

 Central Railroad, is a fine rolling countiy, ex- 

 tending some sixty miles north, heavily tim- 

 bered, and filled with sparkling springs of wa- 

 ter. This triangular tract, bounded on the 



southeast by the Ohio, and on the southwest 

 by the Mississippi, comprehends most of what 

 is called " Egypt." It is wonderfully adapted 

 to the culture of grapes and fruits of all kinds. 

 North of the tract described the interminable 

 prairies commence, extending to Chicago. 



The levees at Cairo are forty-two feet above 

 ordinary low water, fifty feet above extreme 

 low water, and average ten feet above the nat- 

 ural surface of the laud. If kept to their prop- 

 er grade they will be at least four feet above 

 the highest flood of which there is any knowl- 

 edge or tradition at the confluence of the Ohio 

 and Mississippi rivers. 



The ordinary rise of water at this point, from 

 floods in either river, is about thirty -five feet. 



The position is commanded by "Bird's 

 Point," in Missouri, whence shot and shell can 

 be thrown to the utter annihilation of Cairo. 

 Troops can cross the Mississippi from old Fort 



