Governor Curtin hastened to Camp Pierpont to provide for the care of the wounded soldiers, and to congratulate the Reserves for the honor they had conferred on the State. He issued the following order :

The gallantry of our troops in the late affair at Dranesville, demands a public acknowledgment.

Their courage, conduct, and high discipline are honorable to the Corps and to the Commonwealth by whose forecast it was raised ' and formed, in anticipation of the exigencies of the country, and whose sons fill its ranks.

General McCall and Brigadier General Ord, and the officers and men who were engaged under their command, may be assured that Pennsylvania is not insensible to their martial virtue, and from them and their fellows confidently looks for as many further illustrations of it as there shall be opportunities afforded them.

A. L. RUSSELL, Aid-de-Camp.

A. G. CURTIN,

Governor of Pennsylvania.

The colors of the regiments that were engaged in the battle were taken to Washington, and on each flag "Dranesville, December 20, 1861," was painted in golden. letters.

CHAPTER III.

PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN.

WHEN,

PRELIMINARY.

HEN, on the 13th of March, 1862, the council of corps commanders called by order of the President in Washington, mapped out the plan of operations which they confidently expected would result in the defeat of the Confederates and the capture of Richmond, and adopted Fortress Monroe as a base of supplies, it was expected by the council that the four army corps then composing the Army of the Potomac, viz, the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Corps, would be employed as a solid mass in addition to the 10,000 men then at Fortress Monroe, under command of General Wool, that post being thought to be amply protected by the naval force in its vicinity, so that it might safely be left with a small garrison.

At the same time the cooperation of the navy was desired and expected in the projected attack upon the batteries at Yorktown and Gloucester, as well as in controlling the York and James Rivers, for the protection of our flanks and of the transports bringing troops and supplies to the army. With these expectations General McClellan began the embarkation of troops and supplies at Alexandria, Va.

It was intended at this time to embark McDowell's corps in mass and land them near Yorktown or on the Gloucester side of the York River; but circumstances which McClellan could not control seemed to balk his efforts from the start, and McDowell's corps, as a whole, was not permitted to join the main army until just before the second battle of Bull Run.