A history of Virginia for boys and girls . alswas to take Richmond. One army after another,during four long years, left Washington shouting,*0n to Richmond! But as one after anotherwas driven back in defeat somebody wrote asong: **Richmond is a Hard Road to Travel. The first great army in blue that started forRichmond got only as far as Manassas, in PrinceWilliam County. There, on July 21, 1861, itwas defeated in one of the first notable battles ofthe war. The second great attempt was made inthe spring and early summer of 1862. Thiscampaign was led by General McClellan; andthis time the boys i
A history of Virginia for boys and girls . alswas to take Richmond. One army after another,during four long years, left Washington shouting,*0n to Richmond! But as one after anotherwas driven back in defeat somebody wrote asong: **Richmond is a Hard Road to Travel. The first great army in blue that started forRichmond got only as far as Manassas, in PrinceWilliam County. There, on July 21, 1861, itwas defeated in one of the first notable battles ofthe war. The second great attempt was made inthe spring and early summer of 1862. Thiscampaign was led by General McClellan; andthis time the boys in blue got near enough to thecity of the seven hills to see the tops of the churchspires and to hear the chiming of the bells. Thenit was that Lee made his first famous defense ofRichmond. When Virginia decided to join the Confederacy,Lee decided to serve Virginia. This meant thathe had to resign his commission in the UnitedStates army, where he had won high honor andrich opportunity. In all probability if he had 270 A HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE LEES DEFENSE OF RICHMOND 271 remained at Washington he would have beenmade chief general. This he doubtless knew,but he felt that his first duty was to Virginia, hisnative state, and to Virginia he gave his did Stuart, and so did a number of others whoheld commissions under the United States. General McClellan, in the spring of 1862, cameagainst Richmond from the southeast — fromthe lower part ofChesapeake his armymoved up the neck ofland between JamesRiver and YorkRiver, his advanceupon Richmond isknown as the Penin-sular Campaign. TheConfederate armiesdefending Richmondat this time were atfirst commanded byGeneral Joseph , a Virginiasoldier of great ability; but at the end of MayJohnston was wounded. Lee then succeeded him,and from that day on till the end of the war Leewas the great chief of Virginias armies, whetherin stubborn defense or in brilliant attack.
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwaylandj, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookyear1920
