It had been tested in the fire of defeat, and it had emerged stronger and braver than ever.
But Dick did not like the mystery about Lee and Jackson.

They had an extraordinary ability to drop out of sight, to draw a veil before them so completely that no Union scout or skirmisher could penetrate it.

And these disappearances were always full of sinister omens, portending a terrible attack from an unknown quarter.

But when Dick looked upon the great and brave Army of the Potomac, nearly a hundred thousand strong, his apprehensions disappeared.

The Army of the Potomac could not be beaten, and since Lee and Jackson were venturing so far from their base, they might be destroyed.