The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1862-12-11
General Ea:aEscctk,s Report.

The report Of the Commander in Chief
Of the armies OF the Uniteu States, Major
General Henry w. Halleck, has been
made pubic. That report is the most
Important document yet given TO the
! inerican public 1t is the history Of the
war on the Potomac, and begins with
General Halle OK $ visit of inspection aud
consultation to the Army Of the Potomac
+ at Harrison S Landing, Oh july 25th, 9th
His object was, If possible, to cause an
advance on Richmond from the james
river or II this WAS not possible, to unite
the armies OF III M'Clelian and Pore i6r
combined OF crations on some other line
He reiates that General Mcclellan at first
required $4,000 additional men 10 attempt
the assault of Richmond. He was informed
that only 20 ,O00 could be spared offered
TO make the attempt with their increase
but, when Gen. Halieck left him, once
more changed his mind, and telcnraphcd
that he would require So ,000-a number
which he already knew II was impossible
to send. AS General u Ciellau thus gave
up, ia effect, the attempted assault on
Richmond from the james, he wa; ordered
on July so, to prepare for i removal of
his army TO Acqn;a Greek General
burnside, ordered to the same point with
his army on the lSt of Aug, reached it on
the Sd. General NJ Clcllan, ordered on the
ID OF August to withdraw his whole army,
sent protest on the 5:h of August, dated
at neon on the 9TH TO this it seems
General Ilallcck replied, with what viii
appear 10 many singular mildness, next
day, the sixth and not till eight DAYS after
he Lad received the order for moving his
army, did Sen VI Clellan begin TO obey.
Meantime the rebels were pressing Pope
On the 9th-six days after Mcclellan had
been ordered to m0ye-the battle of Cedar
Mountain was fought. Dispatches cap
tured showed that the whole rebel army |
vas moving towards Pops, ho was order |
ed to fail back. Though the army of the |
Potomac was 50 long delayed, vet General |
HaIleck reports that on the 9th Of 4 ugust |
there was every prospect that Jackson |
wouid be destroyed before reinforcoments |
could come 10 his relief" Vi Cielian's |
army had then arrived at Alexandria |
Hooker and hearny were already with |
Pope. Heintzelman also came into action |
the next morning but Fitz John Porter,
''ordcred to be at Bristow's Station on the /
OF The 2oth," F" ''iUr some uBex-
planned reason did not comriy with this
order, aud his corps was not in the battles
Of the 18th and Z9th, the decisive battles
Of that Ca mpaign. General lIaHeck com
plains that some Of the corps Of the Poto-
mac army behaved very badly Ou the
Sd Of September Pope brought MS army
within the delences Of Washington, where
It came under command Of M'Clcllan.-
He was at his own request relieved
Thus ended this movement, of which Gen
'ral Halleck makes this simple but preg-
nant remarks: Had the ARM of the Po-
omac arrived few days earlier, the reJel
'rnay could hare been EASILY dictated aud
perhaps destroyed," But the reader of
he report will remark that, had General
NJ 'Clellan promptly obeyed orders, instead
# iirittering away eleven precious days,
he Army of the Potomac would certainly
nave arrived few days eoriier.'