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vided for the purpose on the side of the scows, which were shoved oft fromthe shore until the shore end of the halk rested upon the shore boat. Thesewere covered with planks in the same manner as before; side-rails of joistswere lashed down with ropes to secure the whole. So one after another ofthe boats was dropped into position until a bridge several hundred feet longreached from the Maryland to the Virginia shore, for the passage of artilleryand every description of munitions for an army. Owing to the force of thecurrent, a large rope-cable was stretched from shore to shore fifty feet abovethe bridge, and the upper end of each boat was stayed to the cable by asmaller rope. The rushing bent the bridge into a lialf-moon curve. Theclock-like precision with which these men worked showed them to be thedrilled engineers and pontoniers of the regular army. After the bridge wasbuilt, a slight, short man, with sandy hair, in military dress, came out uponit and congratulated the engineers on their success. This unassuming manwas George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac.
It was on this boat-bridge that the army of General Banks crossed to theVirginia shore in 1862. Officers were not allowed to trot their horses; troopsin crossing were given the order, “ Route step,” as the oscillation of thecadence step or trotting horse is dangerous to the stability of a bridge ofany kind.
I crossed the bridge soon after it was laid, visited Jefferson Rock, the ruinsof the burned armory, and the town in general. The occasional crack of a mus-ket among the hills on the other side of the Shenandoah told that the enemy’sscouts were still there. Colonel Geary’s men were engaged in driving themfrom the hills, preparatory to the advance of General Banks. During theday fifteen or twenty were captured and marched through the town, present-ing a generally shabby and unmilitary appearance. They did not impressme, as they did afterward when charging on our lines, with their unmusicalyell and dauntless front.