That is, my son, if its forts were
properly garrisoned, and there was a working force of forty thousand
men. But nothing was safe against the fears of a timid
administration.
But forts, my son, however strong, are only inert masses. They
cannot fight themselves; and to give them strength and action they
require to be properly and fully garrisoned. And the troops in them
require to be properly instructed in all their duties. Now, my son,
it was a question with the government, which was very timid at that
time, whether General George had left, in and around Washington, a
force sufficient to make the city perfectly safe when he started on
his memorable campaign. It is the opinion of nearly all our best
military men that he did. But the politicians got frightened, the
government got frightened, and the political generals got
frightened. And all the frightened people got their heads together;
and they made the President and Secretary of War believe just as
they believed--that Washington had been "unarmed," and that
Washington was in danger. Yes, my son, our good-hearted President,
who was no coward, was sorely troubled about the safety of
Washington.
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