The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-08
The Arm, Of me POTOMAC.

In consequence Of exaggerated state
ments respecting tho number Of troops
undOr the command Of Genehal McClel-
Ian on the Peninsula, the Cincinnati
Commercial Republiean) endeaYors to
give the facts. II has had them in possess
sion fora considerable length Of time, but
has been deferred from publishing them
BY prudential motives Official announce
ments, however, lifts the embargo, andit
feels at liberty TO state thc truth.
II viii be remembered that when the
army was ca route Tor Manassas, General
Mcclellan was suddenly notified at Fair-
fax Court House that tho President had
concluded to subdivide the army into
five corps, to be commanded respectively
by Major Generals Banks and Mcdowell,
and BrigadierGenerals Sumner, Hciutzel-
man and Keys. General Banks was imme-
diately assigned TO the command of the
Shenandoah Valley. which had 40: been
erected into department" The other
four corps were assigned TO General Nc
Clellan. Subsequently the departments
ofthe Shenandoah, of the Mountain and
of the Rappahannock were created
General Fremont was assigned to the
Mountain Department, and Gen. Blen-
kers Division of the Army of the Poto-
mac was ordered TO report to him. The
Department Of the Rappahannock was
assigned TO General Mcdowell, and three
divisions of the Army of the Potomac
tranklin's, MeCalPs, and Kings-were
detached for his Department.
Subsequently Gen. Franklin's Division
was ordered to report to Gen. Mcclellan,
and it arrived while the army was in
vesting Yorktown. McClellan's army
now consisted of nine divisions, COM
manded by the following officers, viz. -
Brigadiers General Franklin, Porter,
Smith, Hooker, Kearney (who relieved
HAmilton), Sedgwick, Richardson, Couch
and Casey. Gen. Sykes commanded a
small division Of regulars. not exceeding
5000 men. These divisions did not
average 10000 men each. Some had
more, sumo less. Including Sykes divi-
sion, the effective infantry force Of the
army did not exceed 10000 men. The
cavalry arm consisted of seven regiments,
about 200 men. The artillery num-
bered near 1000 men. But, including
all arms, the total force under General
Mcclellan did not exceed 10000 men.
The investment of Yorktown reduced
this force materially-5,00O men at the
very least calculation. The battles of
Williamsburg and West Point cost 5000
En,r n.I.a a ~ DDn
additional. How much the army was
reduced by sickness up 10 The first Of
June, when Fair Oaks was fought, has
never been stated, but estimating the
proportion OF sick in each division at
one fourth the awful reduction Of 0asey's
unfortunate division, and il will be seen
that Mcclellan was at no time as strong
in front Of Richmond as United States
Senators and journals hostile 20 him have
represented. We should remember that
Casey's division was IL, 900 strong when il
landed at Fortress Monroe, and Just prior
TO the battle Of Fair Oaks his roster ex-
hibited less than G,000 men lit for duty.
After the battle, General McCalPs divi-
sion, 10000 strong, and seven other regi-
ments say 5000 men, reinforced the
army on the Chicahominy. These hardly
made good previous losses by sickness
and battle, but we will assume that they
did restore the numbers 70 the original
strength. These were all the reinforce
ments General Mcclellan received until
he reached James River 1t must be per-
feetly apparent in this, which we believe
10 be correct view, that General Nc
Clellan could not at any time bring over
$4,000 men into the field in front of
Richmond. We must also bear in mind
that strong detachments of his duty men
were required to guard his communica-
tiOns and 70 protect trains. Indeed, IL
was seriously doubted by many capable
officers whether there were $4,000 men
on the Chickahominy fit for duty. Some
of the divisions were shockingly reduced
by battles and sickness. There is reason
to believe, too, that the enemy was thor
oughly informed in respect to our weak
ness. They had captured General Casey's
camp, including his papers, and it is alto
gether probable that they found list Of
division and brigade commanders, from
which they could easily compute the
numbers of the army. Such lists are in
possession of all commanding officers, and
there was not a newspaper man Of any in
telligence with the army who failed TO
make UP lists for his own information
Some had lists embracing every regiment
] n, The ortY,w