absolutely depended upon his adversary's fears. It was hardly to
be hoped, however, that McClellan's imagination would cause him to
see three men for every one opposed to him, but such was the fact,
and even when one of Lee's confidential orders fell into his hands,
revealing the fact that Jackson's whole force was absent, he still
thought himself outnumbered.

The discovery of this order was a serious blow to Lee, for it not
only exposed his immediate weakness, but actually disclosed his entire
plan. How it was lost has never been explained, for its importance
was so fully realized that one of the officers who received a copy
pinned it in the inside pocket of his coat, another memorized his
copy and then chewed it up and others took similar precautions to
protect its secret.

Some officer, however, must have been careless, for when the Union
troops halted at Frederick City, through which the Confederates
had just passed, a private in an Indiana regiment found it lying on
the ground wrapped around some cigars and, recognizing its value,
carried it straight to his superiors who promptly bore it to
Headquarters.

Had Lee remained ignorant of this discovery it is possible that
McClellan might have effected the capture of his army. But a
civilian, favoring the South who happened to be present when the
paper reached Headquarters, slipped through the Union lines and
put the Confederate commander on his guard.

Lee had already noted that McClellan was moving toward him at unusual
speed for so cautious an officer and, this was readily explained by