Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-08-09
Is Gen. Patterson a Traitor?

Well, we don't know. 1t is certain,
however, that he persisted IN claiming a
prominent position in our army, and
that the Administration, to avoid all ap-
pearance of partisan partiality, gave him
the command of our army on the Poto-
mac. Gen. Johnson, with large force
of rebels, lay almost in sight Of Patter-
son for many weeks. When it was de :
termincd to attack Manassas, Patterson
was ordered to engage johnson, SO as to
prevent his joining Beauregard. And
in view of this order, he dema nded large
reinforcements until he had drawn
twenty five thousand men into his COM
mand. He then, having weakened our
effective force to THAT extent, refused to
engage Johnson, but let him join Beau
regard, so that with the three wings of
the rebel army, amounting to 10000
men, strongly intrcnched, a victory ON
our side was impossible. Still, we de-
not know that such was his intention.
But Col. Richardson, Member of Con-
gress, from Illinois, the most intimate
personal and political friend of Douglas,
in his place upon the floor Of the House,
said that not only Patterson, but Cad
wallader, and Butler were Breckenridge
men, and could not be trusted! We know
they were SO, during the last election
but protesting to be Union men on the
breaking out of the war, were placed in
important commands. 1t happens that
by their strange conduct, our army was
defeated, and many brave men lost
Still, that does not prove them traitors.
But we very much doubt the policy Of
placing in such positions, men whose
sympathies have always been with the
leaders of the rebellion. No doubt the
motives of Gen. Scott and the Cabinet
were the purest, wishing to demonstrate
perfect absence Of everything like par
tisanship in the conduct of the war. But
it is question whether men known to
be true all their lives, should be passed
by to give place to those whose virtue is
not assured, and whose conversion rests
only upon their own asser rtions.
Es5"lt is now clearly ascertained that
the utmost extent of our forces at the
battle of Manassas did not exceed twen-
ty five thousand! Patterson, with an
equal number, by refusing to obey his
orders and engage johnson at Winches-
ter, permitted the latter to join his
forces with those of Beauregard and
Davis, thus swelling the rebel army
to nearly ninety thousand men. With
this superior force, and the advantage
of their intrenchments, which an army
of twelve thousand slaves, beside the
soldiers, ha been working for weeks to
complete, the wonder is that our whole
army was not annihilated
AS the extrava giant stories, origina-
ting in the fright of the hangers ON, the
teamsters, and few of our troops, are
sifted and the facts ascertained, our
supposed terrible defeat turns out to
be, in fact, virtual victory. And the
lesson l. has taught will doubtless be
worth more in the end than the carry
ing of the position would have BEEN
1t will be the means, we trust, of re-
casting the plan of the campaign on a
better considered basis, that will pro-
vide with certainty against any similar
catastrophe, and secure victory in the
end that will have meaning to it.