Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-07-30
RAED ON neCLRLLAN


/ uren were. landed at Fortress Monroe, end SAT
/ down before Yorktown under Gen McClellan'
while the enemy st that time did not NUMBER
/ 10000 men, Instantly Gen. Mcclellan began to
/ telegraph for reinforcements, and continued 10
| telegraph to the day lfe was attacked by the
rebels The country has been deceived as 10
/ BJcCiellsn's force; has been led to believe IL
was binsdequste John Tucker, assistant sec
reiary of war, procured transportation ana
! sUPeyinteEded the shipment OF all the troops
| and rsinforeemonts. He clearly testites as iol-
! lows:
Qusstion-What is your position under the
| government?
"Angwer-I am Assistant Secretary Of War.
"Queslion-Do you know anything shout the
transportation Of troops to Yorktown and the
aAnswer-I do. Iattended the embarkation
Of those troops
"Questiou-Of the whole of them?
"Answer-Yes, sir.
"QgesliOn-Can yOU state what number Of
troous were first embarked for that placel
"Answer-Prior to the 9th of April, as l know
from the statements made to me by the quarter
masters who were attending to the details, there
were l21 500 men.
"Quosioa-Tbat was before Gen. Franklin 5
division was ordered there?
"Answer-Yes, sir. Shortly after that Frank
Inns division was shipped; it numbered 10000
men. About the lst Of June McCall's division
was sent doWn there; it consisted of 10000
men, About the same time. from Baltimore and
Fortress Monroe there were sent II 600 men :
and the last of June a psrt of Shields division
were shipped. 1 did not superintend that, but
am informed that there were about 5000 of
them.
"Question-You superintended the shipment
Of all the troops but those from Gen. Shields
divisionl
"Answer-Yes, sir.
"QUeston-Does that comprise all that have
been sent to General Mcclellan since ha landed
there
''An5wer-That is all know Of
Question-That includes the number sent
by Generals Wool and Dix
AnsweT-Yes, sir. That makes l50, 600 men
in all
"Question-Do you know of any other forces
at the disposal ef the government. that could
have been spared for his assistance?
Auswer-I DO not
Qaestion-Were there reasons Why Gen
McDowell's s forces could not be sent?
Auswer-Yss, sir. The President deemed
t1em osseutisl to the protection of Washington.
Qustion-And that force was none tOostrong
for the defense Of this place
Arswer-It was so regarded.
Question-Ilave you any personal knowl-
edge Of the state Of the roads and the condition
Of the country on the Peninsula when Gen.
Mcclellan first took his army there
Auswer-Early in April visited the head
quarters of Gen. Mcclellan, and found the
roads totally impossible for the transportation
of artillery, and almost so for supplies. On my
arrival at Gen. McClellsn's headquarters, I was
informed that he WAS sending his cavalry back
to the river, because it was Impossible for him
to transport forage TO sustain them. As an evil
dence OF the condition Of the roads from Ship
Point to his headquarters, l was myself eight
hours going seven miles on horseback"
This testimony is SO important, that I have
deemed it absolutely requisite that he country
Should have it. The country has been deceived.
l. has been led 10 believe that the Secretary of
War OF somebody else has interlersd with Gen
licClellan's plans, when he had an army that
cculd have crushed any other army on the face
Of the earth. One hundred and fity-eigh.
thousand Of the best troops that ever stood on
Gods footstool were sent down to the Peninsula
and placed under command of Gen. Mcclellan;
and yet TIE whole reasonable press of the
country has been howling after the Secretary of
War, because Of his alleged refusal to send rein
forcernents TO Gen. Mcclellan As I said the
other day, he tas sent every man, every saber,
every bayonet, every horse, that could be
spared from any source whatever to increase
lhas grand army under General Mcclellan IN
front of Richmond. Why did he not enter Rich
mond 2 We shall see Gen. McDoweIrs force
was not sent down, because it was deemed
necessary TO protect the capital and its vast ac-
cumulgtiOn OF military stores. Although the
President and Secretary Of War would have
been justified in holding Tie whole of that force,
Gen. Frsnkln's division was taken from it and
shipped to the Peninsula, at Gen. McCellau's
r10St Tlv-puf solicitation and 11rrrnnf
cry for TeinlorcemeDts that brought Shields
down 70 unite with Mcdowell and thus united,
these two columns Were to march upon Rich
mond, and still further reinforce and aid Gen.
Mcclellan As to the manner in which Gen.
Mcclellan has been treated by the War Depart
ment, l will present the testimony of the quar-
termaster- general. Gen. NJ. c. Meigs tegtifes as
follows, among other things:
Question-Will you give, if you have no
objection, an approximate estimate Of the num-
Der of troops sent to Gen. Mcclellan before the
lafe battles near Richmond
"Answer-In doing 50, / shall have also to
give the grounds for my opinion. was called
upon to provide transportation for about one
hundred and ten thousand men, with their ar
tiIleTy, horses, baggage, provisions, etc. / am
informed by Ar. Tucker, assistant secretary Of
gsr, who negotiated the most of the charters of
vessels at the first starting, that he made an
estimate just after they sailed, by which it ap
peared that about ore hundred and twenty three
theusand men, think, two hundred and seven
teen thousand horses, eighteen hundred wagons,
and forty-four batteries of artillery, had been
shipped for The Peninsula. I do not understand
that Franklin's division was included in that
enumeration Since then, FTanklin's division,
which mus have been ten or twelve thousand
strong and McCal's division, nearly eleven
thousand strong, have been sent down there.
Certain troops have been obtained from Fortress
Monroe and Norfolk, being drilled troops, and
replaced by newer ones from here, Baltimore,
and elsewhere The number of those / could
hardly cues at. / should suppose they were
about eight or ten thousand men and about
eleven thousand men since these late battles
have been sent from Alexandra; they we're
part of Shields division, and some regiments
that were taken from here.
l have estimated roughly that that would
make g total Of about one hundred and sixty
thousand men, from first to last, transported to
the Peninsula. We have sent more wagons
eince-a considerable number and Gen. Van
Vliet, who was here the other day, and was chief
uuartermaster Of the Peninsula, told me that
there were about three thousand wagons now in
camp at Harrison's Point We have sent horses
down, from time to time, to replace those that
died or were broken down and killed.
QueSuOn-4AaFe you Ha4 tue HlednS VI AuVn-
ing whether the government has had it in its
power to send more reinfOreements to Gen, Nc
Clellsn than it has since his landing on the
Peninsula
''Answer--I do not think the government
could have safely sent, from any troops within
its reach here, any considerable reinforcements
ito Gen. Mcclellan beyond what it has already
sent A few hundred men, more or less, would
amount to nothing. The only way, it appears
to me, in which the government could have done
so, was to have called for more troops, raised
them, organized them, drilled them, and made
them fit to go there: for raw troops are Of no
use,''
"Question-Will you state to the committee if,
in your estimation, everything required by Gen.
Mcclellan Of the government has been promptly
sent 70 him
answer think so. l know the govern
----.. 1879 IL - 10. l....