The Portland daily press., 1862-07-11
For the Press
The Recent Embellishments of the
Coun.ry.

&OuhA!s
EDITORS OF PREss.-I have just returned
from McClellan's army, sick and worn down
with fatigue and exposure. do not wish to oc-
cupy your paper with description of battles
for your readers have seen all can tell them
in your sheet or the Boston and New York
dailies; but have some thoughts and facts
which am anxious to communicate to your
readers.
In the first place, let me ask what enemy
ever reported in this city that Mcclellan was
defeated? The first report that greeted me
on my arrival was, that sutler had escaped
and brought the news of our defeat-that the
papers did not tell the truth, did not dare to-
and that Mcclellan was all but annihilated
barely saving part of his army by his gun
boats.
Mcclellan has not been defeated. In every
battle of those six days of slaughter he was
the victor, with but one exception; that excep-
ton was the attack on our right wing by Stone
wall jackson, and even then, with force of
one-haf to one-third the enemy, We yielded
but a little ground in the fight of all day, near
the Chickahominy.
But am wandering from my purpose. The
papers fhll of details, part Of them reliable
there is nothing to be ashamed of, but much to
be proud of in the doings of our army before
Richmond.
Why did we change our base of operation?
Because it became necessary by the great re-
enforcement of the enemy. Our line extended
L.. a xr..l.. N pon
men thrown upon our right wing, without
weakening any part of the enemy's main army,
what course was left but to hazard our all up
on a grand engagement, which, if successful,
would give us Richmond, but if a failure would
prove the destruction OF the army of the Pc
ninsula or TO fall back to a secure position,
where our supplies could no. be cut off, where
the water was fit for man and 'beast-which it
was not in the former position of the army
where our gunboats could play their part in
the work before us, and where we could secure
the needed reinforcements.
Grant, then. that Mcclellan has not been
defeated in a single battle, grant that he chang
ed the position Of his army with its immense
train of wagons and ambulances, without the
loss of single wagon, and but one seige gun,
and there is doubt about the loss of even that
one, grant that his position is every way better
than before, grant that his soldiers and officers
are not in the least disappointed, but are anx-
ious to move on, all of which is true, still here
is a great truth staring ont IL bold relief: Nc
Clellan needs more men and that Immediately.
Since our army struck the Peninsula it has lost
more than 10000 men. | do not know but l
might add 10000 more and be within bounds
His reinforcemcnts have not reached over one
fourth that number. Suppose we take Rich
mond within a week, and the rebel army re-
tires, we have done but little. We want an
army large enough to capture not Richmond
alone, but the bulk of the rebel army. do
not expect this will be done until the North
shakes off its lethagy and stoops from tia posi-
ton of selfglorifcation. We have boosted of
our numbers in the field, forgetting that the
South has always out-Dumbered us in our great
battles. The crisis is now upon us. The re-
bellion is to be crushed now or never. Public
meetings will not do it, newspapers and orators
cannot do it. Fighting men must do it.
Let the drafting commence and go ON. When
men have to leave their families and business,
or pay a large price for substitute; when
they have exchanged the Injuries of home for
the coffee and hardbread of the army; when
they find themselves face to face with death
and carnage then they will realize what this
war is costing us. As yet, the great bulk of
the northern people do not comprehend the
magnitude of the work before us. Not so with
the South. l have penetrated Virginia some
over hundred miles, from three different
points. / have been in thousand or more
families, and from about every one there are
more or less absent in the army. One man has
five sons in the rebel army. Another has the
father and all the sons over fifteen. And SO it
is through all the South. The whole white
male population, capable of bearing arms, are
fighting against us. How different with us
Notwithstanding the immense army we have
raised and sent away, they are hardly missed
except by their fireside connections. We have
great numbers that would go with an office,
but not as privates. II we have the men, if we
have the ability, if we have the determination
to crush this rebellion, it will be done in sixty
days. If motif We dilly-daly as we have
done, our country is lost. How senseless are
the thrusts at members OF this or that depart
ment! II must be that they will commit blum