The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-11-28
The Prince de JOfnville on the War.
HIS OPINION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.

HIS OPINION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
The London Saturday Recie,v has a
summary of the Prince de Joinville's pa
per in the Rerue DIES DeMc 1n0ndes on the
'Army of the Potomac" We copy:
The Prince tells us that Mcclellan at
first intended to attack directly in front,
and that he only waited for the spring to
advance. He knew quite well that the
wooden cannon, which he was so much
laughed at for not taking, were only made
worth while to take even wooden cannon
unless he could advance beyond, and the
state of the roads would not permit him.
Before, however, the time came when an
advance was possible, he learnt that the
confederates had SO completely destroyed
the means of communication that he would
have had to spend weeks in the mere con-
struction of the road that was to take him
toward Richmond, and feed him on his
way He therefore determined to take
his army round by sea and ascend the
James river. He was beginning his prep
aratiOns with the utmost secrecy, when he
was ordered to Washington to attend q
general council of war. The other gener-
alspresent made various proposals, all of
course, based on the supposition that the
army was to move by land southwards.
This forced Mcclellan to reveal that he did
not propose to go that way at all, but to
take his army round by sea. Immediately
this was known, although only confided in
this way to only a few men of the high
est position, mysterious feminine intiu-
ence conveyed it to the confederates, and
they had time to make those preparations
at Yorktown, and at various parts of the
peninsula, which threw so much difficulty
subsequently in the way of the federals.
The Prince describes, with much beauty of
language and liveliness of feeling, the in
cidents of the march from the landing to
the final position on the Chickahominy.
McClellans plan was, he thinks, quite
right, ard, according to all probability, the
tederals ought to have won, and taken
Richmond but several circumstances
combined to battle Mcclellan. We have,
perhaps, heard of them all before, but still
they have a certain novelty when present
ed for the first time by competent and
trustworthy observer.
In the first place, there was the scandal
Gus treachery in the federal council-room,
which revealed to the confederates exactly
what Mcclellan was going to do; and the
consequence was that the federal army had
to force its way through a series of works
and military lines, which although soon
taken, yet cost on the whole, lamentable
waste of the precious spring weather. In
| tho nIo0n tho Nyat In-
yond all experience of Virginian summers.
The army lived in a perpetual down-pour,
and had to march through q vast flood.
1t was with the utmost difficulty that ar
tillery could be moved on at all, and this
made the approach all the more slow, the
facility of concentrating an opposing con-
tederate force all the greater, and the
sickness all the more terrible. Thirdly,
the Merrimac, although kept from destroy
ing the fleet or interfering with the landing
of the troops by the presence of the Mon
itor, yet paralized the federal gunboats,
and forced the army to march by land
without the assistance it expected by water.
Lastly, Mcclellan was not supported. He
was left to himself, and denied reinforce
ments in way which reflects the greatest
disgrace on the Washington authorities.
When he took up his station at the june
ton of the Chickahominy and the road to
West Point, he could with the greatest
ease have co-operated with Mcdowell,
whose assistance would have been invalu-
able to him, and who was doing nothing
where he was stationed, about thirty miles
to the north ofRichmond. But Mcdowell
received express orders by telegraph from
Washington not to help Mcclellan. The
Prince thinks that the cause of this was a
ridiculous fear that Washington was not
quite safe, and feeling that there was no
knowing where the Confederates might
turn up. The consequence was, that in
the series OF battles which followed, Nc
Clellan was beaten by the superiority of
the numbers Of the Confederates, who gave
up everything in order to beat him. They
succeeded, and he made his way to Har-
rison's Landing-the victim, according to
the Prince, Of bad weather, and of the
miserable, incompetent, selfish, PREACHER
Gus set, who had got hold of the reins Of
power at Washington.