The New York herald., 1862-12-05


to meet its obligations with fresh paper issues,
hereby rendering the rich speculator richer,
and the professional man and Tho mechanic
poorer, and the still wider spread Of desolaton
and grief among the homes that have Leen
already so heavily visited.
| To this period Of tribulation and suffering we
can only see remote termination remote
when we take into account these immense sacri-
fees and the strain upon the public mind in the
meanwhile In the Presidential election of 1864
the nation will find that solution of its difficult
ties which the abilities of its statesmen and the
magnitude of its resources have failed to supply
To the magnificent conservative majoritics that
will sweep the North in that contest we SHALL
under God, be indebted for the restoration of
| the South.
Mcclellan, Halleck and tho Radical
Press.
| The radical journals are exulting over the
idea that General Halleck's report has demo-
lishod General Mcclellan. Instead of that,
however, General Haiicck has demolished him
self, and General Mcclellan stands before the
American people greater man than they had
ever before believed him to be. General Hal
leck, who is q lawyer, and never fought bat
tie, has brought to bear upon the case all the
ingenuity of the legal profession, while McClel-
lans defence has not been put before the coun-
try at ALL Yet such weakness is stamped upon
the very face of the indctmens-so lame and
impotent are his conclusions-that the verdict
OF the people is unanimous and prompt in favor
Of the accused aud against his accusers. The
letter OF Mcclellan proves Linn to be equally a
statesman and soldier. The report of HaIleck
shows that he is neither one nor the other.
Halleck's calculations, with the whole stua-
ton before him, completely failed McClellans
letter, on the contrary, contains the most singu-
lar predictions of the disasters that must follow
if Halleck's plan should be adopted and those
predstons were literally fulfilled It is to be
fairly presumed that the success of his own
plan would have been equally complete had
the Gcneral-in-Chicf at Washington listened to
his entreates to send him the desired rein corce-
ments to Harrison's Landing. McCleian's
letter, which is the most interesting published
during the war, proves that he had
the eye Of a soldier, and that his
combinations were scientific and practical,
while Halleck from his own account, appears
to have lost his reckoning, if he had ever made
any upon sound military principles. Mcclellan
and the public are indebted to Halleck for pub
fishing this letter, though it must be confessed
that it somewhat damages his reputation as an
advocate to have produced such damaing evi-
dcnce against his clients and himself Had
another letter, written az the same time to the
President by General McClcllln-an earnest
letter OH the political branch OF the situation
been brought to light, it would have been
seen that Mcclellan towers as high above
the Cabinet in craftsmanship as he does
above the Generaln-Chief in the art OF
war. That letter, however, with q host of
other curious correspondence, will have to come
out before long, and the eyes Of thousands will
be enlightened who now "see as through
glass darkly."
Great stress is laid by General Halleck upon
three dates. He says that the order to Mcclellan
to evacuate his position on the James river was
issued an the Sd of August; that the battle of
Cedar Mountain was fought by Pope on the
9th, and Mcclellan did not leave Till the 18th
The question is why Mcclellan did not go to
the assistance Of Pope by following or flanling
Lee. This assumes that the whole OF the rebel
army in Virginia was at that time behind Jack
son, at Gordonsville. But nothing can be
further from the truth. Jackson fought Pope
with flying column, independent of Lees
army; and had the whole rebel army been In
the vicinity Of Cedar Mountain, as General Hal
leck supposed, not man OF Pope's force would
ever have reached Washington to tell the tale,
except as a paroled or exchanged prisoner of
war. The great body Of the rebel army re-
manned at Richmond till Lee was assured that
McClellan's army was actually retreating. The
most reliable testimony obtained by the rebel
general was from three thousand spies. in the
shape of exchanged rebel prisoners, whom the
military authorities at Washington bad 80 wisely
sent up the james river to Richmond during
the evacuation of Harrisons Landing Hal
leck no doubt imagined that Lee was general
as slow as he proved himself to be at Corinth;
but the Virginian turned out quite otherwise.
BY the most rapid movements and with the aid
Of railroads, he overlook Pope's army before IL
was possible for Mcclellan to come to his as
sstance, while Jackson, by detour, got in his
rear. Their united forces badly whipped him,
and would have totally destroyed his army but
for the timely aid Of a portion Of General