He had crossed a portion of his army east of Richmond, and advanced to within four or five miles of the city.

The remainder, meanwhile, lay on the north bank of the stream, and swept round, in a sort of crescent, to the vicinity of Mechanicsville, where it had been anticipated General McDowell would unite with it, thereby covering its right flank, and protecting the communications with the Federal base at the White House.

That this disposition of the Federal troops was faulty, in face of adversaries like Johnston and Lee, there could be no doubt.

But General McClellan was the victim, it seems, of the shifting and vacillating policy of the authorities at Washington.

With the arrival of the forty thousand men under McDowell, his position would have been a safe one.