The national Republican., 1862-07-14
TBl8 ATTACK OF 0EN. MeCLnLLAN'.
FRIBRDs UPOn TIE PREslDEHT.

FRlERDs UPOa TIE PREslDkRT.
The attempt Of the friends Of General Nc
Cellan 70 rhift OF the responsibility Of hi,
failure 10 capture Richmond upon the Presi-
dent, 10 recoiling upon them with vengeance
The New York Epening Post, which Ia high
authority, rays that General Mcclellan wrot,
to the War Department, three or four days be
fore the recent battles near Richmond, an.
nouneiDg, with great qualification. the arrival
of the reinforcing division Of General Mccall
and stating that he then had troops enough I,
effect the objrct Of driving the enemy out OF
their capital.
II has been stated by Senator Chandler and
nobody has presumed to deny it-that, whr'
General Mcclellan started for the Peninsula
be left Only nineteen regiments behind for th,
protection Of Washington, although a counti
Of major generals had determined that &c, ,OU,
or 40 900 men were required for that purpose
The truth Ia, that the President, having
(against the advice and remonstrances Of al
the men who put him 10 powsr) persisted, afte,
the evacuation Of Manassas, In keeping Gen
eral Mcclellan In command, cannot but hav,
had the deepest personal anxie'y TO sus ait
him and help him TO be successful. There va,
this motive operating upon him all the time, IL
addition 10 his own tficial responsibility Il
the coontry fer the management aud success
fol issue Of the war. II is. therefore, a. ali
slrd ~ II is false. that Mr. Lincoln has failsr
10 reinforce General McClelIsn 10 The utter
most extent consistent with the necessities o.
the public service.
Whether General hcCls ll.n filled, from I.
lack Of vigor In pushing on TO Richmond sftp,
landing In the Peninsula, from an unusu, !
mortality 10 bis army in the swamps Of ths,
miasmAt,c region, from an unexpected concen
uation OF the enemy, or from all these cause,
combined, 1t 10 certain that II was uot from ,h.
lack Of any support which the President could
possibly give him.
made by the correspondent Of the Now York
Erpess. writing from this city under date Of
July 9, o. follows:
"It has come TO be known that on the Sunds,
preceding the seven days oni fict before Rich
mond. that is, June 22j. MI der waa issued
by the War Department To Gen. Mcdowell, L.
advance his amy (of about 10000 msn) iron
Fredericksburg TO the right wlrg Of the arm,
of Mcclellan. and Cooperate win that wing Ii
the thon projected attack upon the sLemy, ant
assault upon Richmond. How timely was thi,
order, and how effective It's execution wo,uc
have proved, 10 now most obvious. The fore,
Of Mcdowell would thus have arrived at Nc
Clellsn's right the evening preceding the frs
rebel assault. The flank movement which los
our army no much, would thus have been me
oy force that would have sntrapped and con
most successfully for the march on to, and tn,
Capture Of, Richinond. Oh, how unce asln
must be the regrets that this was not DONE
that the order referred 10 was not carried out
OF Secretary Stanton, deserves 10 be nrst said
The President counter mandsd the order.
The wiles Of ths willy doubtless bscloudsd hi
undsE.tandlng; his fears. appealed T., wsr
the forces at Freoericksburg being removed
ard thus the unwise, and, as II has resultst
most DISASTROUS Interference, came about"
We call this new form Of attack, becau,
toe m.schief. makers have at all other times Il
sisted that 1t was Mr.. Stanton who refused h
proper assistance to Gen. Mcclellan thus mail
ing their assaults upon the President by charg,
agsinst bis subordinate In the War Department
The Story Of the New York Express will b
credited oply by thoss who will believe th,
the Secretary Of War could possibly have .sue
such an important order TO Gen. Mcdowell
the ons alleged, without the Presidents know
edge. and thereby have placed be latter 10 Il
position OF countermanding The order II
whole thing is incredible.
Nor do We believe that the Secretary Of Wa
with bis instructive good sense and quick mil
tary eye, has been, ut any time, sn asssntu
party to the folly Of advancing upon Richmor
from several points, thus giving to the eneu
posted at the centre the power Of pouncng upc
aud crushing 10 detail the separate aud d
tached armies moving apon him. That wou
be 10 violate the frat principles Of war, and '
must have better evidence than the correspon
epce Of the New York Express, before We Ca
believe that the Secretary OF War is chargsah
with It.
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