Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw

CHAPTER SEVEN: "A Lull before the Storm"

C H A P T E R 7 Alull before the storm" After a year of campaigning, Lieutenant Shaw had neither fired his pistol nor raised his sword against the enemy. Adept at drill, he still questioned his ability to fight and wanted a chance to test himself. He soon got his wish as Stonewall Jackson outmarched and outfought the three Federal armies in the Shenandoah. During the battle at Front Royal, Shaw's pocketwatch turned away what could have been a fatal bullet and left him only slightly bruised. Even though he was without his weapons—having left his pistol and sword in his luggage and using a "toy" sword borrowed from a drummer boy—Shaw had proven himself a capable officer in the circumstances of a wound, retreat, and battlefield defeat. For the North, the buoyant hopes ofspring turned gloomywith the military reversals of summer. The campaign for the valley transformed a "Stonewall" into a legend. The "Bold Dragoon"—cavalryman J. E. B. Stuart—humiliated his Federal opponents by riding completely around the Union position. Robert E. Lee pushed McClellan's massive army back from Richmond and had it huddled at Harrison's Ferryon the James River. McClellan and Lincoln bickered in public over tactics and responsibility. In Washington, Lincoln signed an act that gave him the authority to use black men to help suppress the rebellion. Lincoln told his cabinet of his Emancipation Proclamation, something that would change the goal of the war from 199 union to freedom. His cabinet told him to wait for a battlefieldvictory before reading it to the public. Shaw thought seriously about raising a black regiment but he would have to wait until the northern public would accept such a move. As the nation and Shawwatched the changing fortunes of war, they experienced "a lull before the storm." Strasburg Va. [HL] May 131862. Dear Father, Here we are again very near the campwhich we left on the ist of April. We hear tonight that Richmond is in our possession. If soVirginia must be nearly cleaned out—though there are some idle rumours of the Rebel army having come up this wayagainst McDowell.1 They can't possibly be desperate enough to run into such a trap, with McClellan in their rear. I wrote to Mr. Sumner today & asked him if there was any chance of my getting into the Regular Army.2 Couldn't you or George give me some assistance by writing to him?3 1 think that the war is going to last some time yet and the regular service, I am convinced, is the one to be in. The fact of their retreating every where, shows that they are going to prolong the war as long as they can. If they get us down into the Southern States in the hot months we shall have a hard time. Beauregard & Johnson joined together could make a strong stand somewhere —and then there is a chance of our having a row with France about Mexico.4 I told Mr. Sumner I wanted to get into the cavalry—but if that is not possible I shouldn't, of course, object to another branch, for there would be a chance of exchanging some time, probably.If aman were going to make it his profession it would be good to have been through allof them. The two last days have been very hot & dusty. We have had Reveille at 11/2, A.M. getting underwayat z 1/2. or 3. So that each day a good part of the march was over before the hottest part of the day.Cavalry,Artillery,Infantry & Baggage Wagons together raise a dust, which at times was so thick that it was impossible to see half a company length. Yesterday I received your letter from Washington. I haven't seen Capt Perkins but believe he was detained in Washington by illness.5 Lieut. Tompkins of the zd Cavalryhas got the Colonelcy of the Vermont Cavalry.6 Isn't it queer to think of our having Norfolk & Richmond? The last ten days have been pretty successful for the Federal army & navy.7 ZOO B L U E - E Y E D C H I L D OF F O R T U N E Tell Nellie I got her letter yesterday. Mymind is made up about the Regular Service so please do all you can for me. I haven't the...