Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1862-12-13

.u. WARRINGTON, Aug. 6, 1862
Mnjor-Genernl Gco z. Mcclellan, Commanding, etc Ber-
kelley Va. r ...r
GENERAL: Yonr telegram Of yesterday
was rec ived This morning, and immedi-
arcIy telegraph brief reply, promising o
write yCu more fully by mail You, Gen
eral, certainly could not have been more
pained at receiving my order than / was at
the necessity Of >Sueing it. was advised
by high officers, in whose Judgment had
great confidence, TO make the order mme.
diateiy on my arrival here, but determin-
ed not to do so until / could learn your
wishes from personal interview and
even after that interview ] tried every
means in my power 10 avoid withdra vi ing
your army, and delayed my decision as long
as dared TO delay IT, assure you, Gen.
erbl it was not haSty and inconsderate
act, but one that cost uIe more anxious
thought than any olGier of my life But
after "A full and mature consideration Of all
the pros and cons, was reluctantly forced
tn the conclusion that the order must be is.
sued. There was in my mind no other al
ternative. .... -r ....r.. ..a -..I s.r ..
Allow me to allude to few of The facts
of the ease You and yonr Officers, at our
int er view, estimated the enemy's force in
aud around Richmond at 200, 900 men.
Since then you aud others repOrt that
they have received aud are receiving large
rriufOrcements from the South. General
Pope's Armv, now covering Washington,
is only 10000. Yonr effective force is on,
" ahoui $4,000 Yon are 80 miles from
Richmond, and Gen. Pope 80 or 80. With
the enemy directly between you, ready to
fall with his superior numbes on one or the
other, as he may elect, neither can reinforce
the other in case of such an Al tack 'tu
If General POpe's army be diminished to
reinforce you, Washing on, Maryland and
PENNSYLVANIA would he etl uncovered aud
exposed. If your forces be reduced to
strengthen Pope you would he tou weak o
even hold the position you occupy, should
The enemy lurn rouud and attack you in
full force. In other words, the old army of
the Potomac is split into two parts, with
the entire force of the enemy directly be-
tween hem They cannot he united by
Iaud without exposing both To destruction,
aud vet they must he united To send
Pnpe's forces by water to the peninsula is.
under present circumstances, mil tagy inn
The ouly alternative is to
send The forces on the peninsula TO some |
point by water, say Fredericksburg. where
the TWO armies can be united Let me |
no y alInde to some Of the objections which |
yon have urged. a .f -d .nt |
Yon say thai 10 Withdraw from the pres.
ent position will cause The cerlam demural |
izlliUu of The army, which is now in excel |
lent discipline and condition. | cannot |
why simple change Opposition |
10 a new aud 10y no meaus distant base will |
demoralize an army in excellent discipline,
unless the ufiirerS themselves assis, in the |
which 4 nm satisfied they
will not Your change OF front frOm your !
tx RENE right at Hanover Court Hjnse 10 /
your D, eSe1t position was over thirty miles, /
bnt have not heard that it demoralzed !
your troops. Notwithstanding the severe
losses they sustained in etfecing it.
A new base on he Rappaliahnoek, at
Fredericksburg, brings you within about |
s,xly miles Of Richmond, aud secures you
a reinforcement Of forty or City thousand
fresh aud disciplined troops The change,
with such advantages, will, thiak,5 if
represented TO your army, eacour-
age father than demoralize your troops
Moreover, you, yourself suggested that
a junction might 6e effected at Yofktown,
5ut that flank march across the peninsula !
IS ould' be more hazardous than to retire 10
Fort Monroe. You will remember that
Yorktown is two or three miles further
from Richmond than Fredericksburg is
Besides, the latter is between Richmond
aud Washington, and covers Washington
from any attack by the enemy ~ na' ~
5 The political effect Of the withdrawal
may at 6rsr look unfavorable, but i think
the public are beginning TO understand ils
necessity, and that they win have much