Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-12-25

The Truth Out ut Last.
Tie Prcsidcm Of thc United States Responsible 70,
hc Failure 10 Take Richmond last Summer
lie Tries to Play The General and Fails
At the trial, by court martial, of Gen
Mcdowell, now in progress at Washing
ton, Gen Mcclellan was called as a wit.
ness. We copy from the Cincinnati
Commercial, a Republican paper, the fol.
lowing account Of his important testi-
mony:
"The testimony Of Gen. Mcclellan in
the Mcdowell court marshal is important
in its bearing upon the conduct of Me-
Dowell at Fredericksburg; and, taken in
connection with the dispatches which
passed between the President and Me.
Dowell, which welo producted in Court
relieves the latter from all responsibility
for failing to advance from Fredercks.
burg, The order recalling Mcdowell
from the Rappahannock was dated May
24th. AS a soldier should do, Mellow
ell responded that it should be obeyed,
though the blow was crushing to him ;
and, at the same time, with almost pro-
phetic instinct, pointed out to the Presi
dent the consequences Of the movement
he had just ordered. While he could &C.
complish nothing, the movement would
paralyze our arms from Richm ond to the
Shenandoah; and it did! The fact is,
and events will show it more and more
plainly, that the whole peninsula cam
paign turned upon the movement from
fredericksburg; that had Mcdowell been
permitted to go forward and effect juno
ton with Mcclellan at Hanover Court
House, he would have accomplished 70,
the rebels precisely what they did them
selves for the Army Of the Potomac. Il
would have been flank movement as de
cisive for our arms as Stonewall Jack
sons was for the rebels. Gen. McClel
Ian expressed the opinion in court, tha
with McDowell's co operation, he woul,
have been in Richmond in a week; aud If
this opinion the best military talent il
the Army of the Potomac has concurred
We, svme time since, were shown pri
vate letter from Gen. Mcdowell, settin.
forth the facts substantially as dcvelope,
in court yesterday, but more explicitly
pointing out the mistake made in recall
ing him from Fredericksburg the very
morning he was to have advanced south
ward, and the fatal consequences of tina
! bunder.
| The President assumed the responsible
ity Of the order. and tie eviience Sho,0
Ma he alone is responsible. He Of course
finds justification for it in the danger tC
which he beiicved Washington to be ex
posed, aud the paramo cunt necessity Of as
suring its safety. He does not deny, no
will his friends deny for him, that the or
der recalling Mcdowell, while it securct
the paramount obiect-thc safety of the
capital-ioSt TO tile country the secondary
abiect, tile capture Of Richmond. 1t was, in
fact an abandonment Of the fruits of the
campaign on the peninsula up to that date
and trusting of the chances of success
to conditions not in the plain OF the com
paign. While we do not intend to reflect
upon the action Of the President or as
sumo that it may not have been for the
best, we still wish to remind our readers
that the failure of the peninsula cam
paign was due, not to defects in the plan
of operations, bat to the interference of ,
higher authority, which deranged thl
pl n by taking from it an important cle
ment, calculated UPON as an essential con
ditiOn of success,