Daily national Republican., 1862-11-12

must have known that the abandonment Of
Maryland Heights was the surrender of Har-
per's Ferry. This leaving the key of the posi-
tion to the keeping Of Colonel Ford, with dis
| cretionary power, after the arrival OF that ca
pable and courageous officer, who had waived
his rank to serve wherever ordered. Is one of
the more striking facts illustrating the incapac-
ity Of Colonel Miles.
Immediately previous to and pending the
siege of Harper's Ferry, he paroles rebel pris-
oners and permits, indeed sends them, to the
enemy's headquarters. This, too, when he
should have known that the lack Of ammuni-
tlon, the bad conduct Of some of our troops,
the entire absence Of ffortifcations, and the aban
donment Of Maryland Heights, were important
facts they could, and undoubtedly did, commu-
municate to the enemy. Sixteen of these pris-
oners were paroled on the 18th, and pass given
them in the handwriting Of Col. Miles, while a
rebel officer by the name of Rouse, after an es-
cape, is retaken, and subsequently has private
interview with Col. Miles, is paroled, and after
the surrender appears at the head of his men,
among the first to enter Harper's Ferry.
II is not necessary to accumulate evidence
from the mass that throughout scarcely affords
one fact in contradiction to what each one es-
tablishes, that Col. Miles was incapable of con-
ducting defence so important as was this of
Harper's Ferry. The Commission would not
have dwelled upon this painful subject were II
not for the fact that the officer who placed this
incapable in command should share In the re-
sponsibility, and in the opinion Of the Commits
sion Major General Wool Is guilty to this extent
of grave disaster, and should he ccnsured for
his conduct.
The Commission has remarked freely on
Colonel Miles, an old officer who has been
killed In the service of his country, and Il can
not. from any motive Of delicacy, refrain from
censuring those in high command, when il
thinks such censure deserved The General-in-
haat taatt tanlt hat Of all afta
having received orders to repel the enemy in
vading the State of Maryland, marched only
six miles per day, on an average, when pursu-
ing this invading enemy. The General-in-
Chief also testiiies that in his opinion, General
Mcclellan could and should have relieved and
protected Harper's Ferry, and In this opinion
the Commission fully concur.
The evidence thus introduced confirms the
Commission in the opinion that Harper's Ferry,
as well as Maryland Heights, was prematurey
surrendered. The garrison should have been
satis0edth that relief, however long delayed, would
come at last, and that thousand men killed In
Harper's Ferry would have made small loss
had the post been saved, and probably saved
two thousand at Antietam. How important
was this defence we can now appreciate. OF
the 1000 men composing at that time the
whole of Lees army more than one-third were
attacking Harper's Ferry. And of this the main
body was in Virginia. By reference to the evil
dence II will be seen that at the very moment
Col. Ford abandoned Maryland Heights his lii
tie army was in reality relieved by Gems. Frank
lin and Summers corps at Champions Gap,
within seven miles of his position; and that after
the surrender of Harper's Ferry no time was
given 10 parole prisoners before 10000 troops
were hurried from Virginia, and the entire
force went of on the double quick TO relieve
Lee, who was being attacked at Antictam. Had
the garrison been slower to surrender, or the
army of the Potomac swifter to march, the en-
emy would have been forced to raise the siege,
or would have been taken In detail, with the
Potomac dividing his force.