George H. Gordon, From Brook Farm to Cedar Mountain

“ Who are you,” I angrily exclaimed, “who uses such language to this regiment, or any officer belonging to it?”

“Who am I? ” slowly and emphatically uttered the voice.

“Yes! Who are you? What is your name?”

“My name?” again spoke the voice, in measured tones.

“Yes; your name — if you have a name? Who are you?”

“ I am General Siegel!” was the reply, with an emphasis as crushing as could be extracted from these words.

“You are General Siegel, are you? Well; General Siegel, you cannot address yourself to troops that I command, in this manner. This regiment is the Second Massachusetts, --a regiment that never retreats until ordered. It is just out of the fight, has suffered a terrible loss in officers and men, and is now moving under orders to the rear to take up a new position.”

In an instant Siegel, with softened tones, made the amende honorable. He had seen, he said, so many going to the rear, that he thought all were moving without orders. With many apologies he moved forward with his corps of fresh troops, whose presence a few hours earlier would have saved our corps, perhaps given us the victory.

And here we may pause in our narrative to ask why, when Jackson threw from 20,000 to 25,000 troops upon our corps, Siegel was not there to help us?

Impressed by the furious cannonade with the belief that Banks might be about to fight alone the battle he intended to fight with the three corps of his army, we have narrated that General Pope hurried, with McDowell's force, to the front. About the time Pope¹ left Culpeper, General