Unnamed Lieutenant Carrying Special Order 191

On September 10, 1862, a Lieutenant in the Army of Northern Virginia was riding on a bay gelding into the Army's camp near Frederick, Maryland. A corporal with a somewhat insubordinate sense of humor called out to him that an envelope had fallen from his carrying bag. On seeing what it was, the Lieutenant blanched. The envelope contained three cigars which were wrapped in an unusual piece of paper. On the paper was written the doctrine known as Special Orders 191, General Lee's plan for dividing the Army until it could be regathered to strike at the heart of the United States. The Lieutenant gave two of the cigars to the corporal and a private, and explained the significance of the Order. He thought with horror what Lee would have said if the General had found out the Lieutenant's mistake, and what would have happened if General McClellan had been made aware of the plan - the Confederacy might have lost the War of Secession.