Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-11
THE MCDOWELL COURT OF INQUIRY

! ing 10 do with the separation Of his corps FROM
the Army of the Potomac, and that his sii version
/ frons moving 70 the support Of General M ctiel-
/ Ian IN the ad vance upon Richmond wa. asains.
| his wishes ard Judgment.
Among these papers the following corrsS-
| pondsnee appeared:
| WASHINGTON CRY, May -, i~52.-N1j G,n.
EeDo%eH, fTfdsrscAstaTs: Gen. Fremont has
! been ordered, by telegraph, TO move from
Franklin on Harrisonburg TO relieve Gen.
Ranks, ana capture or destroy Jackson's aud
Jwelis forces. You are instructed, LAYING
| a>lce FOR the present the movement on Rich
mond, to put @,EG men in motion at once for
! the Shennndoah, moving the line, or in
| adv ance OF the line, Of the Manassas Gap rail-
rcao Your object will be to capture the
| forces OF Jackson and Ewcll, either in co.
opel anon with Gen. Fremont, or in case want
OF supplies or OF transportation interferes with
his movement, it is believed that the force with
| HhiSh on move wiii be sufficient TO accom-
| phsh the object alone. The information thus
lar received here makes il probable that IL the
eneI1y operates actively against Gen. Banks.
you VIII not he able TO count upon much
assistance IRON him, but may even have to
Release him. Reports received this moment
| are, that Banks is fighting with Ewell, eight
| miles from Winchester
(SiGned,) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
fSama.l May "a, iS62-iSameI The Presi.
DENTS order has been received and is in process
OIL execution This is = crushing blow 70 us
(Signrd,) IRWIN Mcdowell, Major Gen
w Ar RDEFAETNKNT,Wa " ashington, May a4, 1862
Enj Gen. II" Doi"sH: / am highly gratified by
your alacrity in oSey ing nv orders. The change
was a. painful TO me as IL can possibly be TO
you. or 10 any one.
AND vIgor OF your movement.
(SigDrd,) A. LINCOLN.
Headquarters Departmentof Roppahd mock, D
OpIcsifs FrsdericksLtrg, MAY 81, ISSo
H's E-cenency, the President: obeyed your
order immf diatrly, for 1t was positive and mr.
nj II n
TO step; but trust may be allowed 10 saw
something i'll relation to the subject, especially
In view OF your remark that every thing now
movement
beg 70 say that cooperation between Gen.
Fremont and myself TO cut of Jackson or
Ewell, is not TO be counted upon, even if IA is
not practical impoSsibility. Next that am
entirely beyond helping distance ofGen Banks
and that no CELEBRITY or vigor will avail, SO far
a. he is concerned. Next, that by glance az
the map, IT. will be- seen that the line Of retreat
OF the enCmy's forces, up the Valley, is shorter
than mine to 90 against him. It will take n
week or len days for the force 10 get to the Val
ley by the route which will give il food and TO-
rage, and by that time the enemy will haye
retired. L shall gain nothing for you there, and
shall lose much for you here. 1t is, therefore.
not onlyon personal grounds that I have n
heavy heart in the matter, but that feel IL
throws us all back: and from Richmond north
we shall have all our large masses paralyzat,
and shall have to repeat what we have lust ac-
complished.
have ordered Gen. Shields 10 commence the
movement by tomorrow morning secoad
division viii follow in the afternoon
Did understand You ari Sht, that YOU wished
Thar j. personally, should accompany this ex-
l"Ghion Very respectfully,
tSigned) IRWIN Mcdowell
Al the time our report closed yesterday, Gen.
mellow ell having concluded his examination
OF Gen. Mcclellan, the Court was about pro-
pounding questions 10 the witness. We copy
Toi,i the RtpuLljcGH what transpired urins the
remainder of the sitting:
q. State whether Gen. Mcdowell was under |!
Your command at the time OF your movement
rom the Potomac and the Peninsu sulal
A. He was.
q: What orders were given, by you, 20 Gen. /
McD., having reference 10 the movements on |
the P' nins uld, and how did these plans ar'e 4
the general plan Of movement for the Army of |
The Po;omaci
A. The orders were for General McD, TO en- /
bark his corps upon the transports then en- !
gagged in carrying troops, and, having his |
whole command embarked, To report to ms for |
further orders, 1t Fort Monroe, or wherever |
might happen TO be, the intention being TO move \
that corps, as unit, by the York or Severn !
riNrr, according TO circumstances, that move
ment being an essential part of the campaign 1
-. Were these orders ever changed by vou'or |
others higher i'll authority, and, if so, how!
A. They were not changed by me, but by the /
President of the United States. When in front |
OF orktowR with q considerable portion Of the 4
army under fre. / received the first intima-
ton OF any intention 10 change the destination !
OF General McDs corps. That intimation was |
4 Geographic dispatch, from the War Depart I
ment, informing me that General Mods corps |
had been Withdrawn from the Army OF the /
Potomac.
u. Did you, after the inyes unent OF Yorktown !
send any orders 10 General McD., or did YOU |
request any orders 10 be sent 70 deners1 McD.l
1rto, what We're the tenors OF such orders, and |
of the replies fro.l General McD., or from those
10 whom the request was made :
A 1 sent no orders to Gen. Mcdowell after |
the i'm investment of Yorktown, for the reason that
i received the information that he was detached /
from my command on the very day we arrived /
in front Of Yorktown.
u. When You caused the occupation OF Han
overCourt House, did you expect the co-opera- |
ton Of Gen. McDowells corps And il so on |
what was such expectation based; for what |
purpose was the cooperation desired, and what /
would have been the probable result of q iunc-
ton of Mcdowell and Porter at that time, or |
shortly sfterwardsl
A. hoped for the cooperation OF Gen. Nc |
Dowelfs corps, or Gen. McDowell's army; al
though that atexpectation was not the only reason |
for occupying Hanover Court House. The ex-
pectation and hope Of cooperation was based |
ON information had received at various times |
from Washington. The reason why this CO. |
operation was desired, was 10 increase our |
available strength sufficient TO insure the cap
ture Of Richmond and, my opinion, the junc- |
uon of Mcdowell and Porter would have en-
a6ied us S to accomplish the oSjeSt 81 Of the cam: cam
question:, however, have already answered in /
my other testimony. s.r.g.
O. Was such cooperation practicable, and |
by what routes; and was il consistent, in your /
opinion, with the safety Of the capitali
A. The cooperation was practicable, either /
by the direct land route from Eredericksburg TO
Hanover Court House, or by the water route, |
and was, in my opinion, consistent with the !
safety of the capital.
Y. What forces could the enemy, at that |
time, have disposed OF for the threatening of I
the city Of Washington, and by what routes
and at what time could they have been mo we'd. |
Gen. Mcclellan stated that he was perfectly /
willing To answer this question, If the court |
desired; but he would ask if il was not some
what irrelevant, and ass uming rather too much /
latitudel T.H-...r. af....
The court was then cleared; when, tier ~, /
expiration of about half an hour, the doors
We're e-opened. and the decision Of the court |
announced that the question had b zen with /
drawn.
The examination by the court was then re- |
suIned.
q. What was the distance at any one time
between the pckets OF Generals Nc Do well aud !
ePorterl ..-