All the Plans of the Rebels - The Mystery of Special Orders #191, Part IV

At noon on September 13th, shortly after he had read the captured enemy orders, McClellan wrote a short, enthusiastic note to President Lincoln:

I have the whole rebel force in front of me, but am confident, and no time shall be lost. I have a difficult task to perform, but with God's blessing will accomplish it. I think Lee has made a gross mistake, and that he will be severely punished for it...I have all the plans of the rebels, and will catch them in their own trap if my men are equal to the emergency...

Despite his confident tone and his assurance to Lincoln that he would lose no time, McClellan instead quickly reverted to his former self. Though he had been in possession of Special Orders #191 (also known as The Lost Order) before noon of September 13th, it was not until the following day that he finally set his army in motion in response.

The night of September 13th saw most of the Union army still camped around Frederick. At 11:00 p.m., McClellan sent a note to his immediate superior back in Washington, General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck, in which he revealed some of the details in Special Orders #191, adding that he estimated Lee's force at around 120,000, more than twice the actual size.

The old specter of superior enemy numbers had not gone away. But The Young Napoleon would do what he could. "This army marches forward early to-morrow morning," he wrote to Halleck, "and will make forced marches, to endeavor to relieve [Harper's Ferry]..." Why those "forced marches" could not have taken place on the 13th instead of the 14th, he did not say.

Opportunity had unexpectedly knocked on McClellan's door. Twelve hours later, the general had yet to respond.

The Day has Gone Against Us

Exactly when Robert E. Lee learned that the enemy was in possession of his plans is not certain. Some believe he learned of the Lost Order the night of September 13th, through a local citizen who had been present at McClellan's headquarters when the Union commander first saw and reacted to the document. More likely it was not until 1863, when the discovery of the document was made public for the first time.

Lee did receive information on the night of the 13th suggesting that something unusual had taken place within the Union army however, and the information caused him to alter his plans.

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