The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-07-06
The Army OF General McCseilan-Its Lat
Danger and Its Present SAfcty-Th<
Duty OF President Lincoln.


The Army OF General McC'eilan-lts Late
Danger and Its Present SAfcty-The
Duty OF President Lincoln.
Our late painful suspense is at an end.
Army, capital and country, We were in danger
Of shipwreck, and have had . narrow escape
| We had feared, and had good reason to fear,
after seven successive days and nights of fight
ing and marching, and all the trying labors
incident to . continuous battle, from point
to point that our noble army under General
Mcclellan without adequate food or rest,
would still be compelled to struggle against
the fresh forces of the rebels, till from sheer
exhaustion . surrender OF humiliation would
be its fate.
To the confidence Of our brave and enduring
soldiers in their leader, and to the skill and
ability with which he changed his position in
the face Of the enemy, we are indebted for the
preservation Of his army. He has not only
saved it, but has removed it from pcstilential
swamp to the dry open hills which overlook
James river, and where he is close to bis sup
plies, and within immediate supporting distance
of our gunboats. General Mcclellan, therefore,
in conducting this delicate, difficult and dan
gerous military movement to the end desired,
is emineutly Untitled to, and will assuredly re-
ceive, the appreciation Of the country. There
can be no misconception Of the drift Of public
opinion upon this point. The sagacity which
marked his original plan Of operations, and the
criminal folly Of the parties responsible for the
substitution OF another plan, are now establish
ed facts.
General Mcclellan has failed to take Rich
mond, and has suffered serious losses in men,
artillery and warlike materials and stores, in
his struggles to extricats himself from posi-
| ton rendered untenable from the heavy rein
| forcsments sent in to the army Of the rebels,
and FROM ths very scanty reinforcemsnts TO bis
| own. With his army thus weakened by battles
and disease, he could not hold his White House
base Of operations twenty miles in his rear
and his intrcnched line of ten miles In front Of
Richmond. His original plan, il we are moi
mistaken. was to move his whole Potomac Army
| of last winter in grand semicircle upon Rich
mond, sweeping the entire country from the
| Potomac to the valley Of Virginia before him.
and contracting bis lines IS he advanced upon
Richmond, not from the east, but from the
north, thus leaving no loophole for rebel raids
into the Shenandoah valley, nor any chance to
the enemy to cut him of from the base Of his
supplies.
Unfortunately, however, this well considered
plan was set aside ny the disorganizing aboli
ton radicals Of Congress. aided and abetted by
two or three political generals Of the Cabinet
Thus our splendid Potomac ArUy Of last Marcel
| was divided into three armies, saCh under ar
independent commander but all under he gene
raj military direction Of the Secretary OF War
a lawyer by profession. The consequence.
have bsen . succession of military blundsr
and disasters in Virginia, which. doubtless
would have eliminated In the total destruction
Of General McClellan's army, and in lsavin
MARYLAND aud Warrington at the mercy Of th
great rebel army OF Richmond, but for tn
marked ability and never failing selfposses
sion Of Mcclellan, and the consistency Of hi
troops, in this late movement which he wa
compelled to make 10 hold his army With
reach Of his depot Of provisions.
RI Again: Fifty thousand mon added
| the army Of Mcclellan two months o
i q month ago would have enabled him I
march into Richmond without FERROUS deter
ton, and with but comparatively triding Los
! in killed and wounded; for there would hav
. been little or no resistance at Richmond
. month ago to Union army Of one hundre
!, and fifty thousand Sighting men. That Gensrs
Mcclellan was not reinforced In season is du
to no want VI foresight or ssasonable war;
ings on bis part. But, as we understand IL, hi
|. acquisitions for more troops were disreyarde
. at the War Office because they were though