New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-17

Numbered 100000 men, by muster roll. They
"nrnhnS IN Manassas and the wooden guns OF Gen.
treyilln and the enemy, less than iO,ooo, quie'y
A, y rountil of war eight generals voted not to
advance on Manassas, but leave the enemy there
ana sneak around by Annapolis. Seven out 81 lhe
e;oht Of these generals were appointed by the 40
wee If Gen. Mcclellan. But the Secretary oil war
oyerrpled this, and made the army move on Ma
nassas. -. oao ooo a;a MT
march on Richmond no one knows, but AZ last NC
ClelIan divided the army and FAILED ior foT'Is's
Nonroe. The Committee OH the Conduct OF the
War snmmoned Gen. Wadswortb, who swore that
he had only 10 OBJ men left to Washington, ard mol
a s;ngIe onn mounted on wheels, and part OF this
force was new and undiscipined, and some nearly
disciplined. ...:...,, ~
He .Cbandler then read from the testimony ~. q
John Tucker, Assistant Secretary q WA Mhs 49,
fled that prior 10 the 9Th Of April i2O9o" men were
sent down TO Mcclellan then Franklin's division
was sent, 600 more; the lat OF june McCalls
division, 10000 more, and about that time li,VVV
from Baltimore and Fortress Monroe; and last June
Shields division, about 5,coo men, sen,, making
total OF 1853 900 men sent to Gen. McCiehh prior W
the engagement before Richmond
| Mr. Tucker further testified that he did not know
Of any other force which could have been sent to
Ger. Mcclellan. Thus, Mr.. Chandler said, it is
shown that 1873 900 of the best tr.ops that ever
Clean, and yet tie treasonab press of the country
WAS bowling agai st the secretary of War because
he had not sent reenforcApents to Gen. Mcclellan
He read further, ron. the testimony OF General
Meigs, corroborating AIR. Tucker, and saying thai
he believed every, lining that Mcclellan asked ior
mad been promptly sent 10 his by the Government.
Mr.. CHANDLER contiraed, saying that Nc.
Clellap lost more men in the Trenches, i've TO
one, than ever fell from the enemy since the
slmy went 10 Yorktown AT last, wbeh the
army whipped the enemy at Williamsburg
Mcclellan, at a long distance from the hed OF pat
tie, wrote dispatch 10 the Secretary OF var tna'
he shold try 10 hold the enemy in check, but the!
were too fast The road to Richmond was oien'
and all he had to do WAS TO march ont Of the swaps
, and into Richmond, but he found ne most swamp
lie could, and set right down in the middle OF ~ ana
! went 10 work digging trenches ana thus tens Oh
Thousands OF Grave men were ost there by sickness.
Then, at last, after waiting till the enemy chose
tor it would not be strategy to attack them till they
were ready, we kept on digging trenches, TIL a.
last the battle of Fair Oaks was fought, when the
whole Rebel force was hurled on small portion of
our army, who whipped them, and drove them back
pel -nell into Richmond, aud across james River.
But Of course we did not follow them-ibat would
not be fair 10 follow whipped enemy, and 20 the
battle OF Fair Oaks was lost, that II to say, We
won brilliant victory, but it did rs no good. Ii
would have been unfair to take advantage OF q
routed army 60 We magnanimously stopped aud
1
front and no intrenchmens in front, but We did not
know what else TO do, and 30 We began 10 dig a
ditch, and we kept digging bitches until they had
impressed and drilled Nd army OF soldiers from their
entire population, and they sent jackson on a raid TO
Winchester, and we waited for him 10 come back
with his 70, 900 OF 80 900 men, and we heard that
Cornth was evacuated. Bot II would have been uii-
isir to commence ha attack until they brought their
troops from Corinth, and waited for the army
from Corinth, and when they got in all the troops
LII al han VI n hem
at all. They attacked us, as We had reason
10 suppose they would. They attacked
our right wing and they. hurled their
whole force right wing Of 5000
men, and during the whole Of that Thursday our
little army Of 10000 held their ground and repulsed
that vast horde and again, and held their
ground at night. Well, Sir, Of course re-enforoo-
mens were sent 70 those bravo men, 10 enable them
to send that dastardly army back into Richmond the
second time. No, Sir, they did Int do anything VI
the kind. At night instead Of re-eDforcements they
were ordered to retreat. Well Sir that strategy.
The moment We commenced our retreat, then, II IL
said in the dispatches, the enemy followed US like
demons. OF course they would. Who ever heard OF
lowed, unless they were Rebels Our left
snd center remained intact. A feint WINS made
on our left wing and center az l have heard from
one Of the braycst men III that whole army OF the
Potomac. lie said when his regiment ordered
under arms he had no doubt that he was going TO
march on Richmond with his regiment. lie believed
the whole force Of the enemy had attacked our right
wing lie believed there nothing in front. lie
believed that our hour OF triumph lad come. His
men sprung into line with avidity, prepared TO rush
al the point OF the bayonet into and over Richmond.
And lie never discovered iis error till he raw \
mil ion and half Of dollars worth OF property burnt
before his regiment. Then he began 10 think 1t did
not wear the aspect of advance on
Richmond. They had been working there and
lost 10 0U0 men digging trenches, ana spent months
bringing up siege guns. Then they left their
trenches without firing gun. Our army was or
dered to advance the gunboats instead OF on
Richmond. This Colonel told that he fought the
enemy three days and whipped them each day, aud
then run every night like -, using wicked
word. No portion of that vast army was in the
the enemy the first day. Well, Sir this is called
strategy. Now, Sir, again l say why was this
great Army of the Potomac, Of two hundred and
| thirty Thousand men, divided Human ingenuity,
and scarcely divine wisdom, could have devised
any other way 10 have that army defeated than the
way that was adopted. l simply charge that grave
errors have been committed; but, as said before,
10 other way could have been devised TO defeat that
army. have thought il necessary that these facts
should 20 forth 10 the people. l know that i shall
| be denounced, but only by two classes OF people
one, trnors; and the other fools Nobody else will
denounce me.
Mr. SUMNER offered resolution that tho Com
mttee Oh the Conduct OF the War have leave to sit
during the recess of Congress Laid over.
The Senate then went into Executive Session.
Adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Mr. WILSON (Rep Iowa, from the Conference