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ground against them. He would equip each Marauder with a long-bladed Bowie knife. The officers could carry sabers if they chose to do so—and they all did—but the rest of Jamie’s men would carry Bowie knives.
    Before any further men were chosen, Jamie personally selected the horses. He would have preferred the tough mountain horses that he knew and loved, but mustangs were impossible to find in Virginia. The horses he chose were not the prettiest of the lot, but they were tough and strong. He chose no animal that he knew had been raised on grain, for grain was something that was going to be hard to come by. The color of the horses was also very important, for he wanted no horse that would stand out, day or night.
    Lee and J. E. B. Stuart watched Jamie closely that first day and part of the second. By then, they knew they could not have picked a better man to command the guerrillas. Jamie MacCallister had proven himself in battle dozens of times over the years, and he had the unwavering loyalty and respect of the men.
    Lee and Stuart summoned Jamie to a meeting at the close of his second day at the staging area.
    â€œJamie,” Lee opened the meeting, held in a tent set off in a meadow, away from any unfriendly ears and eyes—and Lee knew they were about. “The Army of the Shenandoah is ready. General Johnston has just over ten thousand men, trained and ready to fight.” He moved his finger along a map spread out on a table. “They’re here.” His finger left that position and moved along another line. “Up here and over here, under the command of General Robert Patterson, are the Union forces, some twenty thousand of them. Patterson is a fine man, but he is too old and much too timid for a field command. General Winfield Scott made a blunder by appointing him to command the Union forces now preparing to advance on Harper’s Ferry. Scott will soon discover his mistake, but it will be too late.
    â€œBegin training your Marauders hard, Major, for I am going to thrust you all into the lion’s mouth very soon. You and your Marauders are going to cross the river and begin harassing actions against Patterson’s green and unproven troops. I want you to convince Patterson that he has many more men attacking him than he does in truth. Buy us some time, Major. For God’s sake and the sake of the Confederacy, buy us some time.”
    â€œI’ll do my best, sir.”
    â€œI know you will. Here is the reason for your daring actions: General Irvin McDowell is training thousands of troops to add to Patterson’s force. General Beauregard’s troops will be shifted over here to add to our forces. It is going to be a great battle, Major. One that we can win if we play our cards close to the vest. Johnston is going to let Patterson think he has him on the run. As Patterson advances, Johnston is going to retreat from Harper’s Ferry, pulling the Yankees deeper into the trap. The Yankees may or may not fall for the trap—I suspect they will sense something is wrong and quickly turn around and head back across the Potomac. If that is the case, we put another plan into action.”
    Jamie studied the map for several long moments, his frontiersman’s mind working hard.
    â€œIf you have anything on your mind, Major,” Stuart said, “for God’s sake, share it.”
    â€œWhat does intelligence say about McDowell’s force over here on this flank?” Jamie asked.
    â€œMany of them green troops or old, inactive veterans, poorly trained and poorly equipped. They are short on supplies and short on weapons and ammunition.”
    â€œAnd the major offensive is scheduled to begin . . . when?”
    â€œAs near as our spies can pinpoint it, the date will be July 8th. We’ll be ready by that time. McDowell’s troops will not be ready.”
    J.E.B. Stuart said, “We will, in all probability, be facing the largest army ever assembled