Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-17

slty OF unity OF movement by our armies, under
one direction, my colleague, to strike at General
Mcclellan, would change the military system,
which has obtained from the time war began on
armies were levied. NJ colleague has a military
wisdom beyond all human comprehension. Be
cause our army is large we must on this logic,
dispense with its proper organization. There is
the more need of one executive head TO so vast
an array as this army of half a million.
My colleague, in this attack upon the General
in command, meant to attack also the President,
or he meant nothing. He knew that the Pres
ident was General McClelan's superior officer;
that all that Mcclellan had done or had not done
was approvedby the President He was, howev-
er, gracious enough to say that the President
would not set up his opinion in military matters
in antagonism to his General-in Chief; and he
would, no doubt, for this. commend the good
sense of Mr.. Lincoln, as do. But if the Pres
ident in thus acting was sensible, what sort of
sense it is for member of Congress, whose life
has been passed, too, in humping the pulpit desk,
[laughter.l and whose thoughts have been less
upon the eagle and more upon the dove, to set up
his skill and education OF the General in COM
mandl If itwere not bad sense, sir, it would be
nonsense Why did not my colleague, if his mo-
tive was good, go to the President, and with his
array of maps. telegraphs facts Of omission and
commission, lay before the President his military
conceptions7 Why does he have them delivered
here. before the nation? Was it TO display his
military erudition2 Or was il to gratify what he
thinks was the popular prejudice and impatience,
to which be would administer, regardless of con-
sequences2 Why did he not go to General
Mcclellan and verify his facts before he used
them for the public dsservcer
Mr. Chairman. il the gentleman had been a
skillful commander. had, like the gentleman
from NewsY Y ork, Mr.. Roscoe Conklng, the hu-
name motive for investigating the confessed
blunder at Balls Bluff, in which many brave men
were lost, / could tolerate this mischieyous line
of debate. tkl
But, sir, my colleague compels me to examine
into his merits as military critic particularly,
and the prOpriety of military "movements" here
in Congress and elsewhere by civilians. Ny col
league will admit that he is not military man by
eucation nor soldier, like Falstaff, on instinct.
Laughter.l His profession was thai of a gos-
peler. Laughter.l His studies do not 6t him
to discuss martial subjects We do not go to a
blacksmith to have our watch repaired, nor to a
matchmaker to have our horse shod. We do not
go to Carolina for cheese, laughter nor to the
Western Reserve for cotton. lean well imagine
how fine scholar. as is my colleague, might,
like Beaumont's 'seder brother sit in his study
and mount upon the wings Of speculation, and
1a4e ster 'shourly converse
With Kings and Emperors and weigh their counsels,
Calling their victories, IL unjustly got,
Unto strict account, andin his fancy
Deface their III placed statues"
But, sir, criticisms on the art of war. TO be val
uable now must be backed by specific study and
experience What has been the study and ex-
perienee of my coIeague2
The country was thoroughly disgusted with the
part Congressmen played at Bull Run. Laugh
ter in the galIeries.) It may be remembered
with what jocund levity the House adjourned to
90 over to see our army march upon Richmond.
Not one of us ever got there, except my friend
from New York, (Mr. Ely,) (laughter,) who
made his exile so conspicuously honorable in the
use ne made of it in behalf of his fellow prisoners
The House may remember that opposed the ad-
journment then on the ground that, by going over
the river, we would only get in the way of the
soldiers Ii turned out that the soldiers got in
the way of the Congressman. (Laughter.)
have letter, written by member of this
House and published in an Ohio paper, which de-
tails, with graphic accuracy, the part displayed
by truculent Congressman on that day. will
have il read at the Clerks table.
The Clerk read, as follows:
'Just as the dragons turned back, a cry was
raised that the Black Horse, formidable body
of the rebel cavalry, (and these were part of
them,) were charging upon US. and it seemed as
if the very devil of panic and cowardice seized ev-
cry morta! soldier, officer. citizen, and teamster
No officer tired to rally the soldiers or 10 any
thing, except to spring and run towards Centre
ville There never was nythng like il for cause
less, sheer absolute, absurd, cowardce, or rather
panic, on this miserable earth beforel
"Off they went, one and all; off down the high
way, over across fields towards the woods, any
where. everywhere, to escape Whether it com
municated back TO the soldiers still i'm the woods
and so on back to the regiments who had just
driven of the rebels, / do not know, but think
it did TO part of them, for a share of our army
seems to have been demoralized, if not broken up
"Well, the further they ram the more frighten-
ed they grew, and although we moved on as rap
idly as could, the fugitves passed US by scores
To enable them better to run, they threw away
their blankets, knapsacks, canteens, and finally
muskets, cartridge boxes, and everything else
ave called to them. tried to tell them there
was no danger, called them to stop. implored
them to stend We called them towards, de-
nouBced them in the most offensive terms, put
out our heavy revolvers, and threatened to shoot
them, but all in vain; cruel, crazy, mad, hope
less panic possessed them, and communicated to
everybody about, in front and rear. The team
sters al turned their heavy wagons, and lashed
their horses to a run, and mixed and mingled
with a crowd of running footmen. citizens and
borsemen all raised an obscuring cloud of dust;
and thus the dust filed the entire highway "a
macadamizcd turnpike) with heterogeneous
mass of flying madmen, intent upon nothiag bnt
to escape.
"The heat was awful, although now about six;
the men were exhausted--their mouths gaped
their lips cracked and blackened with the powder
Of the cartridges they had bitten off in the battle
their eyes starting in srenzy; no mortal ever saw
such mass Of ghastly wretches
" As came on, borne along with the mass,
unable to go ahead or pause, or draw out of it,
with the street blocked up With flying baggage
wagons before and behind, laundering and crash
ing on, We were every moment exposed to immi-
nent danger of being upset, crushed, or Of
breaking down. and for the first time on this
strange day felt little sinking of the heart,
and doubt whether we could avoid destruction in
the immense throng about US; and nothing but
the remarkable skill four driver and the strength
OF our carriage aud endurance of cur horses saved
US. Another source Of peril beset us. As we
passed the poor demented, exhausted wretches
who could not climb into the high baggage wag
ons, they made frantic efforts to get on 70 and
into our carriage. They grasped it everywhere,
and got ON TO il, into il, over it, and i'm
piored US every way TO take them on. We had
TO be rough with them At first they loaded us
down almost to stand still, and we had to push
them OF and throw them out. Finally, Brown
and /, with pistol each, Kept them ou,, although
one poor devil got in in spite of US, and we lug
ged the internal coward two miles. finally open
ed the door, and he was tumbled out"
Mr.. Cox-Now hear what these brave Con-
gressmen actually did to stay the tide Of re.
treat -. -. =. -. -
The other side Of Ceuueville we had overta-
ken Senators Wade aud Chandler. or saw them in
the crowd, the Sergeant at. Arms OF the Senste,
and a Mr.. Eaton, Of Detroit. with whom we we're
in company much Of the way afterwards,
Wade planted himself with cooked MAJ
nard in the attitude Of battle; lisughier] Chand-
Ter with revolver near him; and we placed our
selves-except Moris-by them. and all with