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e　a　pass　for　crossing　the　Potomac　either　from　one　side　or　from　the　other；　and　such　a　pass　I　procured　from　a　friend　in　the　War…office；　good　for　the　whole　period　of　my　sojourn　in　Washington。　　The　wording　of　the　pass　was　more　than　ordinarily　long；　as　it　recommended　me　to　the　special　courtesy　of　all　whom　I　might　encounter；　but　in　this　respect　it　was　injurious　to　me　rather　than　otherwise；　as　every　picket　by　whom　I　was　stopped　found　it　necessary　to　read　it　to　the　end。　　The　paper　was　almost　invariably　returned　to　me　without　a　word；　but　the　musket　which　was　not　unfrequently　kept　extended　across　my　horse's　nose　by　the　reader's　comrade　would　be　withdrawn；　and　then　I　would　ride　on　to　the　next　barrier。　　It　seemed　to　me　that　these　passes　were　so　numerous　and　were　signed　by　so　many　officers　that　there　could　have　been　no　risk　in　forging　them。　　The　army　of　the　Potomac；　into　which　they　admitted　the　bearer；　lay　in　quarters　which　were　extended　over　a　length　of　twenty　miles　up　and　down　on　the　Virginian　side　of　the　river；　and　the　river　could　be　traversed　at　five　different　places。　　Crowds　of　men　and　women　were　going　over　daily；　and　no　doubt　all　the　visitors　who　so　went　with　innocent　purposes　were　provided　with　proper　passports；　but　any　whose　purposes　were　not　innocent；　and　who　were　not　so　provided；　could　have　passed　the　pickets　with　counterfeited　orders。　　This；　I　have　little　doubt；　was　done　daily。　　Washington　was　full　of　secessionists；　and　every　movement　of　the　Federal　army　was　communicated　to　the　Confederates　at　Richmond；　at　which　city　was　now　established　the　Congress　and　headquarters　of　the　Confederacy。　　But　no　such　tidings　of　the　Confederate　army　reached　those　in　command　at　Washington。　There　were　many　circumstances　in　the　contest　which　led　to　this　result；　and　I　do　not　think　that　General　McClellan　had　any　power　to　prevent　it。　　His　system　of　passes　certainly　did　not　do　so。　I　never　could　learn　from　any　one　what　was　the　true　number　of　this　army　on　the　Potomac。　　I　have　been　informed　by　those　who　professed　to　know　that　it　contained　over　200；000　men；　and　by　others　who　also　professed　to　know；　that　it　did　not　contain　100；000。　　To　me　the　soldiers　seemed　to　be　innumerable；　hanging　like　locusts　over　the　whole　countrya　swarm　desolating　everything　around　them。　　Those　pomps　and　circumstances　are　not　glorious　in　my　eyes。　　They　affect　me　with　a　melancholy　which　I　cannot　avoid。　　Soldiers　gathered　together　in　a　camp　are　uncouth　and　ugly　when　they　are　idle；　and　when　they　are　at　work　their　work　is　worse　than　idleness。　　When　I　have　seen　a　thousand　men　together；　moving　their　feet　hither　at　one　sound　and　thither　at　another；　throwing　their　muskets　about　awkwardly；　prodding　at　the　air　with　their　bayonets；　trotting　twenty　paces　here　and　backing　ten　paces　there；　wheeling　round　in　uneven　lines；　and　looking；　as　they　did　so；　miserably　conscious　of　the　absurdity　of　their　own　performances；　I　have　always　been　inclined　to　think　how　little　the　world　can　have　advanced　in　civilization；　while　grown…up　men　are　still　forced　to　spend　their　days　in　such　grotesque　performances。　　Those　to　whom　the　〃pomps　and　circumstances〃　are　dear　nay；　those　by　whom　they　are　considered　simply　necessarywill　be　able　to　confute　me　by　a　thousand　arguments。　　I　readily　own　myself　confuted。　　There　must　be　soldiers；　and　soldiers　must　be　taught。　　But　not　the　less　pitiful　is　it　to　see　men　of　thirty　undergoing　the　goose…step；　and　tortured　by　orders　as　to　the　proper　mode　of　handling　a　long　instrument　which　is　half　gun　and　half　spear。　　In　the　days　of　Hector　and　Ajax；　the　thing　was　done　in　a　more　picturesque　manner；　and　the　songs　of　battle　should；　I　think；　be　confined　to　those　ages。　The　ground　occupied　by　the　divisions　on　the　farther　or　southwestern　side　of　the　Potomac　was；　as　I　have　said；　about　twenty　miles　in　length　and　perhaps　seven　in　breadth。　　Through　the　whole　of　this　district　the　soldiers　were　everywhere。　　The　tents　of　the　various　brigades　were　clustered　together　in　streets；　the　regiments　being　divided；　and　the　divisions　combining　the　brigades　lay　apart　at　some　distance　from　each　other。　　But　everywhere；　at　all　points；　there　were　some　signs　of　military　life。　　The　roads　were　continually　thronged　with　wagons；　and　tracks　were　opened　for　horses　wherever　a　shorter　way　might　thus　be　made　available。　　On　every　side　the　trees　were　falling　or　had　fallen。　　In　some　places　whole　woods　had　been　felled　with　the　express　purpose　of　rendering　the　ground　impracticable　for　troops；　and　firs　and　pines　lay　one　over　the　other；　still　covered　with　their　dark；　rough　foliage；　as　though　a　mighty　forest　had　grown　there　along　the　ground；　without　any　power　to　raise　itself　toward　the　heavens。　　In　other　places　the　trees　had　been　chopped　off　from　their　trunks　about　a　yard　from　the　ground；　so　that　the　soldier　who　cut　it　should　have　no　trouble　in　stooping；　and　the　tops　had　been　dragged　away　for　firewood　or　for　the　erection　of　screens　against　the　wind。　Here　and　there；　in　solitary　places；　there　were　outlying　tents；　looking　as　though　each　belonged　to　some　military　recluse；　and　in　the　neighborhood　of　every　division　was　to　be　found　a　photographing　establishment　upon　wheels；　in　order　that　the　men　might　send　home　to　their　sweethearts　pictures　of　themselves　in　their　martial　costumes。　I　wandered　about　through　these　camps　both　on　foot　and　on　horseback　day　after　day；　and　every　now　and　then　I　would　come　upon　a　farm…house　that　was　still　occupied　by　its　old　inhabitants。　　Many　of　such　houses　had　been　deserted；　and　were　now　held　by　the　senior　officers　of　the　army；　but　some　of　the　old　families　remained；　living　in　the　midst　of　this　scene　of　war　in　a　condition　most　forlorn。　　As　for　any　tillage　of　their　land；　that；　under　such　circumstances；　might　be　pronounced　as　hopeless。　　Nor　could　there　exist　encouragement　for　farm…work　of　any　kind。　　Fences　had　been　taken　down　and　burned；　the　ground　had　been　overrun　in　every　direction。　　The　stock　had　of　course　disappeared；　it　had　not　been　stolen；　but　had　been　sold　in　a　hurry　for　what　under　such　circumstances　it　might　fetch。　　What　farmer　could　work　or　have　any　hope　for　his　land　in　the　middle　of　such　a　crowd　of　soldiers？　　But　yet　there　were　the　families。　　The　women　were　in　their　houses；　and　the　children　playing　at　their　doors；　and　the　men；　with　whom　I　sometimes　spoke；　would　stand　around　with　their　hands　in　their　pockets。　　They　knew　that　they　were　ruined；　they　expected　no　redress。　In　nine　cases　out　of　ten　they　were　inimical　in　spirit　to　the　soldiers　around　them。　　And　yet　it　seemed　that　their　equanimity　was　never　disturbed。　　In　a　former　chapter　I　have　spoken　of　a　certain　generalnot　a　fighting　general　of　the　army；　but　a　local　farming　generalwho　spoke　loudly；　and　with　many　curses；　of　the　injury　inflicted　on　him　by　the　secessionists。　　With　that　exception　I　heard　no　loud　complaint　of　personal　suffering。　　These　Virginian　farmers　must　have　been　deprived　of　everythingof　the　very　means　of　earning　bread。　　They　still　hold　by　their　houses；　though　they　were　in　the　very　thick　of　the　war；　because　there　they　had　shelter　for　their　families；　and　elsewhere　they　might　seek　it　in　vain。　　A　man　cannot　move　his　wife　and　children　if　he　have　no　place　to　which　to　move　them；　even　though　his　house　be　in　the　midst　of　disease；　of　pestilence；　or　of　battle。　　So　it　was　with　them　then；　but　it　seemed　as　though　they　were　already　used　to　it。　But　there　was　a　class　of　inhabitants　in　that　same　country　to　whom　fate　had　been　even　more　unkind　than　to　those　whom　I　saw。　　The　lines　of　the　Northern　army　extended　perhaps　seven　or　eight　miles　from　the　Potomac；　and　the　lines　of　the　Confederate　army　were　distant　some　four　miles　from　those　of　their　enemies。　　There　was；　therefore；　an　intervening　space　or　strip　of　ground；　about　four　miles　broad；　which　might　be　said　to　be　no　man's　land。　　It　was　no　man's　land　as　to　military　possession；　but　it　was　still　occupied　by　many　of　its　old　inhabitants。　　These　people　were　not　allowed　to　pass　the　lines　either　of　one　army　or　of　the　other；　or　if　they　did　so　pass；　they　were　not　allowed　to　return　to　their　homes。　　To　these　homes　they　were　forced　to　cling；　and　there　they　remained。　　They　had　no　market；　no　shops　at　which　to　make　purchases；　even　if　they　had　money　to　buy；　no　customers　with　whom　to　deal；　even　if　they　had　produce　to　sell。　　They　had　their　cows；　if　they　could　keep　them　from　the　Confederate　soldiers；　their　pigs　and　their　poultry；　and　on　them　they　were　livinga　most　forlorn　life。　　Any　advance　made　by　either　party　must　be　over　their　homesteads。　　In　the　event　of　battle；　they　would　be　in　the　midst　of　it；　and　in　the　mean　time　they　could　see　no　one；　hear　of　nothing；　go　nowhither　beyond　the　limits　of　that　miserable　strip　of　ground！　The　earth　was　hard　with　frost　when　I　paid　my　visit　to　the　camp；　and　the　general　appearance　of　things　around　my　friend's　quarters　was　on　that　account　cheerful　enough。　　It　was　the　mud　which　made　things　sad　and　wretched。　　When　the　frost　came　it　seemed　as　though　the　army　had　overcome　one　of　its　worst　enemies。　　Unfortunately　cold　weather　did　not　last　long。　　I　have　been　told　in　Washington　that　they　rarely　have　had　so　open　a　season。　　Soon　after　my　departure　that　terrible　enemy　the　mud　came　back　upon　them；　but　during　my　stay　the　ground　was　hard　and　the　weather　very　sharp。　　I　slept　in　a　tent；　and　managed　to　keep　my　body　warm　by　an　enormous　overstructur