Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-09-19
OUR GENERALS.

Bull Run, which resulted in disaster to
our armes-their retreat to Washing
ton, and the invasion of Maryland By
rebels. This report is profoundly hu-
initiating to every friend of his country
and indicates clearly and alarmingly
wherein lies our great danger. 1t con-
firms, formally and officially, what has
long been the popular conviction, that
the jealousy, rivalry and personal am
bfion of our Generals, is prolouging
the war and consuming the substance of
the people, without accomplishing any
thing effective.
If this report of Gen. Pope be true,
there is no escaping tie conclusion that
from fifteen to twenty thousand noble
lives, with many millions of dollars
worth of stores were sacrificed, and tn e
whole army, the Capital of the Nation,
and in short the cause itself placed in
imminent danger by the refusal of
Mcclellan to send even supplies to worn
out men who had been fighting in a
death struggle for several days and
nights. Here is what Gen. Pope writes
and deliberately places upon the i'm
perishable files of the Government
archives, to become a part of our his
tory, never to be efaced:
II had telegraphed and written ur-
gently for rations aud forage to be sent
to us, but on Saturday morning before
the action vas resumed | received let
ter from Gen. Franklin, written the day
before at Alexandra, stating to me Mal
he had been directed By Gen. Mcclellan
to inform me that rdtions and ,torage .to,
my command ,eould be loaded into cars
aud duaila1le aoagons as soon as l aoould
send a cdral,y escort to Alexandria 10
bring them up. All hope of being able
to maintain my position, whether vic
torious or not, vanished with this letter:
my cavalry was utterly broken down by
long service in the face of the enemy
and bad as they were they could not &c
spared from the front even if there had
, been time to go back 80 miles to Alex
t andria and await the loading of trains
f At the time this letter was written, Alex
andria was swarming with troops, and
my whole force interposcd between thai
place and the enemy. at once un-
derstood, We must, if possible, finish
, what We had to do that day as night
must see US behind Bull Run if We
wished to save our men and aniulals.' -
Now this report is either true or it il
not If true, Gen. Mcclellan shoult
!, be in any other position to-day than a
the head of our armies. if it is no
true, Gen. Pope should be casbieret
and dissraced for making it. But reae
the whole report. Several other com
m1nders are charged in it with conduc
which ought to lead them to the gibbc
= if true.
It is true tha: Gen. pope's orders
when first called to the command Of til,
army of Virginia, were calculated, i
not intended, to throw slur upol
Mcclellan and his terribly disastrou
campaign. 1t could not fail to arouse
= the bitter enmity of Mcclellan to see
new man, as Pope was, called from tn
West to retrieve the disasters Of yea
of singular mis- sfortuncs, if nothing worse
If Pope should sacceed in retricvin
the tarnished honor of our arms, th
plaudits of the country would be his re
- ward. Unhappily for our country
; patriotism proved weaker than militar
p jealousy, and the desire to crush the hate
rival, and to strike down Pope, an arm
of patriotic volunteers are sacrificed
and the country endangered Read thi
other extract from the report. Ger
Pope says:
81 do not hesitate to say that if til
corps of Porter had attacked the cnem
rs in flank ON the forenoon Of Friday, a
lie he had my written order to do, W
,e should utterly have crushed Jackso
u before forces under Lee could hay
y reached him. Why he did not do 81
L cdHuOG uuutISldHu ouT ulcu III uC
N worn down by hard service and contir
is uous fighting for many previous day
is and very short of provisions, rested o
their guns. Our horses had no forae
y, =, for two days r.
- Thus, the charges are made by I'll
Commanding General in solemn off
d, cial document which necessarily become
~ a part of our history. Aud he not on
~ makes these charges in his official r.
III port, but he makes them formally to Il
IT, President, and demands the trial
as those he thus accuses, by regul
Court Martial!
" :. And here is the most mysterious an
10 to US, the most incompreheusible of a
~ proceedings. With these charges tn,
" made, Gen. Pope Is sent off to the cor
y mand of new department in the mort
y west-Gen Mcclellan is put at the he
., of our forces at Washington-the cou
a. of inquiry ordered on these charges
y dissolved or postponed, and the Office
' against whom these grave charges a
~ made, are leading our troops again
- - is said exultingly by the friends of M
''' Clcllan that his soldiers demanded b
= appointment, and that the President d
=. not dare to disobey-and that McCl
u" Ian required the dissolution or po:
ponemeut Of the court of inquiry, and Il