MARCH 20, 1862:
Major General John Bankhead Magruder C.S.A. (sometimes
called “Jeb” or “Prince John”) arrives on Virginia’s James Peninsula to take
command of Confederate troops there. Magruder immediately sends a report to
Robert E. Lee noting an increase in Federal troops at Fort Monroe and nearby
Hampton, Virginia. He suggests using the C.S.S. VIRGINIA to interdict the
transfer of Union troops to Fortress Monroe by sea. Magruder also offers a
shrewd assessment of McClellan’s plans:
"I think McClellan has shown his plan is to turn flanks
by great detours of land and water. The falling back of our army from the
Potomac gives him the power to detach largely, and I think he will never risk a
defeat himself when he can devolve the risk of it upon some one of his
subordinates."
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