The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-07-25
Army of the Potomac,
NUMBER OF TROOP 8 UNDER MCCLELLAN.

NUMBER OF TROOPS UNDER MCCLELLAN.
The bitter enemies of McCLELLAN still
continue their outrageous attacks upon him.
The latest that has been put forth is the
speech of Senator CHANDLER of Michigan,
which represents the force Of the Army Of
the Potomac at double what it actually is
or has been since the movement on the
Peninsula. The New York Times says
CHANDELIERS speech is regarded in Wash
ington as an open attack on the Admins.
tration. Not one of his gsrbled and ca
parte statements but has been pushed on
President L1NcoLN's attention day after day
for months, to induce him to supersede
General MCCLELLAN. The President, know.
ing all the facts better than CHANDLER, has
refused and still refuses to join the crusade
against MCCLELLAN, but calls on tie coun-
try to reinforce him. Thereupon CHANDLER
pronounces a bitter, wild and unsparing
speech, calculated to produce widespread
disafection to the Government among the
people, and to put an end to all enlistments.
For the satisfaction Of those who may be
led astray by CHANDLER's rawlings, we give
the following statement, taken from the
Cincinnati Commercial of last Friday:
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
In consequence of exaggerated statements
respecting the plumber of troops under the
command of General Mcclellan on the Pc
ninsula, we endeavor to give the facts. We
have had them in possession for consider.
able length of time, but have been deferred
from publishing them by prudential motives
Official announcement, however, lifts the
embargo, and we feel at liberty to state the
truth.
1t will be remembered that when the army
was en- route for Manassas, General McCIel.
Ian was suddenly notified at Fairfax Court
House that the President had concluded to
subdiyide the army into five corps, to be
commanded respectively by Major Generals
Banks and Mcdowell, and Brigadier Gen.
erals Sumner, Heintzelman and Reyes.
General Banks was Immediately assigned to
the command Of the Shenandoah Valley
which had not been erected into "Depart-
ment." The other four corps were assigned
to General Mcclellan. Subsequently the
Departments of the Shenandoah, OF the
Mountain, and of the Rappahannock, were
created. Gen. Fremont was assigned to the
Mountain Department, and Gen. Blenker's
Division of the Army Of the Potomac was
ordered to report to him The Department
of the Rappahannock was assigned to Gen.
Mcdowell, and three Divisions of the Army
OF the Potomac, Franklin's, McCalls, and
Kings, were detached for his department.
Subsequently General Franklin's Division
was ordered to report to General Nc Clelan,
and it arrived while the army was investing
Yorktown. Mcclellan army now consist
cd of nine Divisions. commanded by the
following officers, viz:
Brigadiers General Franklin, Porter,
Smith, Hooker, Kearney (who relieved
Hamiiton). Sedgwick, Richardson, Couch
and Casey. Gen. sykes commanded a
small division of Regulars, not exceeding
six thousand men. These divisions did not
average 10000 effective men each. Some
had more, some lees. Including Sykes di
vision, the effective infantry force of the ar
my did not exceed 10000 men. The cav-
airy arm consisted of seven regiments,
about 1000 men, and the artillery arm
numbering something near 1000 men. But
including all arms, the total force under
fien. Mcclellan did not exceed 10000
men.
The investment OF Yorktown reduced this
force materially-5,000 men at the very
least calculation. The battles of Williams.
burg and West Point cost 5000 more.
Fair Oaks and Hanover cost 6,20O add.
tional. How much the army was reduced
by sickness up to the LIST Of June, when Fair
Oaks was fought, has never been stated !;
but estimating the proportion of sick in
each division at One>fourth, the awful re
duction in Casey's unfortunate division, and
it will be seen that Mcclellan was at no
time SO strong in front of Richmond as U. s.
Senators and journals hostile to him have
represented. We should remember that
Casey's division was 10000 strong when it
landed at Fortress Monroe, and Just prior
to the battle of Fair Oaks his roster
exhibited less than 5000 men fit for
duty. After this battle, Gen. McCalls
division, 10000 strong, and seven other
regiments, say 5000 men, reinforced the
army on the Chickahominy. These hardly
made good previous losses by sickness and
battle, but we will assume that they
did restore the numbers to the original
strength. These we're all the reinforcements
Gen. Mcclellan received until be reached
James river. II must be perfectly appar.
ent in this, which We believe to be cor
rect view, that Gen. Mcclellan could not
at any time bring over $4,000 men into the
field 10 front of Richmond. We must also
bear in mind that strong attachments of his
duty men were required to guard his COM
municatons and to protect trains. Indeed,
it was seriously doubted by many capable
officers whether there were $4,000 men on
the Chickahominy fit for duty Some of
the divisions were shockipgly reduced by
battles and sickness There is reason to
believe, too, that the enemy was thoroughly
Informed respecting our weakness. They
had captured Gen. Casey's camp, including