May 5, 1861---"The War will last at least four years..."

MAY 5, 1861:        

 From the diary of Robert E. Lee, Confederate General, abolitionist, Southern patriot, Unionist-at-heart, and scion of the family of George Washington:

        

  

 “They do not know what they say. If it came to a conflict of arms, the war will last at least four years. Northern politicians will not appreciate the determination and pluck of the South, and Southern politicians do not appreciate the numbers, resources, and patient perseverance of the North. Both sides forget that we are all Americans. I foresee that our country will pass through a terrible ordeal, a necessary expiation, perhaps, for our national sins."

Robert E. Lee was probably as close to a prince of the blood royal as America will ever have. The descendant of early colonists and the son of Revolutionary War hero and close personal friend of President Washington, “Light Horse” Harry Lee, Robert married Mary Custis, the granddaughter of Martha Washington (and granddaughter by adoption of George Washington). Lee was raised to revere the memory of Washington, and his decision to separate from the nation founded by his idol cost him greatly. Although he went with the secessionists and led the Confederate armies through the Civil War, Lee’s bond with George Washington ultimately did much to determine the fate of the nation as the Civil War drew to its awful and bloody finale.

May 4, 1861---"No National news of much importance..."

MAY 4, 1861:        

From the diary of George Templeton Strong, Unionist lawyer, diarist, and political pundit:

“No national news of much importance today. There are signs, more or less reliable, of collapse and intimidation in Virginia and Maryland. A strong party in Kentucky and western Virginia seems certainly arming for the nation against State secession. The twenty days within which the President’s proclamation called upon all rebels to disperse expire tomorrow, and there are vague rumors of decisive steps thereupon to be taken. We shall see. We are generally hopeful and in high spirits today. But our levies are very raw; the rebel commanders have the energy and freshness that belong to revolutionary leaders. Worse than the loss of three pitched battles would be overtures of compromise and negotiation from the swindling chivalry – “the felon knights” of Jefferson Davis’s Round Table. That would divide and weaken us again. I fear the subtle, knavish, desperate leaders of the South have some such move in reserve.”

May 3, 1861---Volunteers Wanted!

MAY 3, 1861:       

 As Commander-in-Chief President Lincoln issues his second call for volunteers. The first call had been for 75,000 troops for three months’ enlistment; this one asked for 42,000 more for three years, plus called for an expansion of the Regular Army from 16,000 to 24,000. There was also a call for 18,000 to join the Union Navy for at least one year.

May 2, 1861---The Fire Zouaves

MAY 2, 1861:       

 Troops from various States continue to be raised and rushed to the defense of Washington D.C., still at risk of being isolated by secessionists. Arriving today were the Fire Zouaves from New York. Their “Turkish” looking costumes of baggy red pants, short blue jackets, and fezzes were very distinctive.

May 1, 1861---Martial Law in Washington D.C.

MAY 1, 1861:         

Martial law is declared in Washington D.C.