TOO MANY Mc COOKS

[MajGenl.Meade]

TOO MANY Mc COOKS


To Mrs. George G. Meade

CAMP OPPOSITE FREDERICKSBURG, August 19, 1862

My yesterday's letter announced to you my arrival at this place and my being once more in harness. Burnside also returned this morning and received me very cordially. He is quite different from McClellan in his manners, having great affability and a winning way with him that attracts instead of repelling strangers.

He is brim full of the exploits of his “army” at New Bern, in March, and is most handsome in the giving of credit to others, particularly Rodman. Burnside declares the mud and fog was more annoying than the confederates, and says he learned much from it, and will never so struggle against the elements again.

Burn was amused by the exploits of a sailor, one Roderick McCook, a lieutenant off the Stars and Stripes, who bravely trundled various pieces of naval ordnance through the mire the infantry had created. McCook is from a large Ohio tribe, of which some two or three dozen have taken up arms, almost sufficient to invest Richmond upon their own.

This McCook lays claim to the capture of an entire rebel regiment at New Bern. If true, he has outdone McClellan, and he and his guns should be seconded at once to Pope, who should be grateful to have a man who can identify the frontal elevation of the enemy.

Pope continues his fearsome advance upon Richmond in the apparent belief that it is somewhere north of Baltimore. Sturgis has taken to referring to him as “McPope”, declaring that the man must have Scotch-Irish ancestors, for his performance is first cousin to that of McDowell and McClellan. Sturgis has a habit of collaring those he believes to be sound and exclaiming that he would not exchange a pinch of owl business for Pope. He claims Porter quipped it would be a fair exchange for whoever ended up with the owl waste. I fear their wit may soon be recorded against them.

The mention of worthless Irish puts me in mind of Kilpatrick, and a gift I received of him, before his most recent departure to Pope. He has bequeathed me an orderly, an Ohio man, enlisted in the second New York, although Kilpatrick says that he doesn’t know one end of a horse from the other.

He must be mistaken for Private Kowell shows an excessive interest in officers’ horses, filling a notebook with the names and locations, how well they are guarded &c. When I asked his purpose, he blurted out that he has never, even once, assisted Kilpatrick to misappropriate a horse!

One has so little evidence of coherent thought in the ranks, but this particular non sequitur left me breathless. It is too early to know whether I shall keep him with me, having been quite satisfied with John thus far. However that may be, I must now replace several officers and many men killed and wounded on the Peninsula, but no one that you know particularly. The health of the army, at least of our division, is very fair — some little bilious attacks and diarrhoea, but nothing serious.

[Lord Jim]

He is quite different from McClellan in his manners, having great affability and a winning way with him that attracts instead of repelling strangers. ...

Pope continues his fearsome advance upon Richmond in the apparent belief that it is somewhere north of Baltimore.