The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1862-07-31
The Campaign.

1t seems to be pretty we'll established
fact that Beauregard, with very con-
siderable portion of his Corinth army,
had migrated to Richmond in time to
give, in connection with Jackson, an
overwhelming preponderance OF force to
the Confederates In the recent carriages.
The inquiry forces itself, therefore, upon
the consideration of the country: How
comes it that the rebels so suddenly con-
| centrated, while the armies that had con-
/ fronted them remained scattered and en-
Etirely unavailable for the great exigency !!
This will involve calm and comprehen-
sive survey Of the disposition of our entire
| military forces throughout all the depart
| ments at the time the Confederate con-
centraton began We shall by this sur
vey be enabled more clearly to understand
how this most unexpected concentration
was so completely effected.
The United States army of the Potomac
had been divided into three commands,
the principal of which had been assigned
to Gen. Mcclellan, and consisted Of 120,-
900 to 10000 men. M'Dowell, with
$4,000 men, more or less, had been de-
tached from M'Clellan's command to adj
vance toward Richmond by tie Kappa
hammock, and at the same time oppose the
| advance of any force the enemy might, by
his railway facilities, suddenly throw for
ward from Richmond; while most of
Banks command in the Shenandoah had
been transferred to strengthen NJ M'Dowell
giving the latter, in round terms, 10000
| effective men, and leaving Banks with a
few fragmentary regiments, amounting
all told, to less than 5000. Stonewall
Jackson watched his opportunity. NJ
Dowell, far too easy-tempered General,
slept upon the Rappahannosk. Stonewall
jackson pounced. Banks escaped. Wash
ington suddenly opened its eyes and or
dered over Fremont from Franklin
! jackson knew it, and countermarched for
his life. Fremont was soon in the Shen-
andoah. Where was M'Dowell? Still
| sleeping on the Rappahannock, dreaming
of an imaginary foe Immediately in front,
or about TO be there, and only sending
Shields division to intercept the headlong
retreat of a desperate army of 1000 men
That division, 1t is evident, was regarded
by the authority ordering its movement Of
itself sufficient to check Jackson. The
| part of it that reached the vital bridge in
time were, of course, suddenly overtaken,
tram pied down, and driven to the winds
Jackson was safely out. 1t was then
alleged, to save the awkward appearance
of mlsmauagement, that Shields detach-
ment had been ordered to Gnn tie bridge,
but it is not at all probable.
Thus our forces between Washington
and Richmond were left as they were
found, in an utterly disjointed and coma
tose condition, under the distracted lead
ership of three Major Generals, acting
entirely independently Of each other
jackson had cleared his own way both in
and out Fremont, in turn. was retiring,
being-not without much reason-appre-
hensive of reinforced descent upon his
small and exhausted army. Banks was
still far behind, recovering from the "a
tigues and consequences of his retreat,
and not yet convalescent. M'Dowell was
the Government itself did not exactly
know where but nowhere to be of any
service in the critical juncture. His COM
mand, instead Of being concentrated and
posted, as it would certainly have been
under competent commander, to have
dealt the death-blow to Jackson In his
desperate retreat from his desperate ad-
ventures, was miserably bewildered,
divided up, and sent astray in various
useless directions, playing, as it were,
merely imbecile game of blind man S buff
with the most wary, wi-y, and wide-awake
of all our enemies in Virginia. In this
fatal manner, Jackson was enabled to
consummate his salvation by joining his
reserves LEAVING NJ DoWeU very nuch in
the condition of the caioled crow, who
was eve trust fabulously) distinguished
for having dropped his cheese into the
gaunt and crafty nav of certain strategic
foe.
Some appearance of force had, indeed,
been kept up, and was still kept up on
M'Dowell's front; of which we are not
apprised, however, that he even felt In
six days from this time Jacksons entire
army was consolidated with the army of
Richmond, and all ready to attack NJ
Clelan .
Were Banks, Fremont, and MDowell
also concentrated Gas no one will deny
they should have been,) simultaneously
with jackson, and moving after him
with all possible visor? So far from it
they were scattered and wasted along the
Shenandoah and Rappahannock to the
Potomac. In short, the disposition of
100, 600 Of our men in Virginia was such
as to be totally unavailable for the great
action which was every moment immi-
nent. Turning for moment to the con-
sideration of the Western Department =
After six or seven weeks of the most la