East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-12-30

before the issuing of this proclamation,
the President himstlf declared, in con
ference with some gentlemen who were
urging him to this step, that It wonld
not only be wholely imperative in the
object sought, but would directly weak.
en- US in the border States, but signif
icantly added that it might increase our
strength in the North. pause here to
inquire where that additional strength
TO the North was to be obtained; not
certainly from the democratic element
in the North. If additional vigor was
infused into the service, i. must come
from some other quarter which until
then had not heartily sustained the
policy of the administration. knecd
not particularixe what class of individ.
uals were thus to be induced to lend
their support'-the country well knows
the baleful influences of this class and
the ends they seek to accomplish.
But this is uot all. The record of
the military operations show to day
almost conclusively what the country
had for some considerable time suspec.
ted; that success in the military point of
view was not SO much the object sought
as the bringing about condition of
things when a proclamation Of this sort
could be urged as the only means of
securing to success.
Some of the reasons are now before
the public why Mcclellan did not cap
ture Richmond. AT tho last session of
Congress commented on the fact that
the Armies of the Potomac, instead of
being massed were divided into four or
FIVE corps, and each corps under an in.
dependant commander no two of them
co. operating together thus enabling a
mass corps of rebels under Jackson to
defeat three Of them and to unite before
Richmond in repulsng Mcclellan /
will not now repeat what | then said.
[ refer to the fact as link in the chain
of evidence which shall to-day adduce.
There was, during the whole time
Mcclellan was at the head of the army,
continual demands that he should ad
vance upon Richmond. Tho class of
persons who raised this outcry were the
persons who favored emancipation This
clanor forced from Mcclellan his plan
of campaign, as we are told by tho
| Prince de Joinvllle, which tho rsbols
learned in few days after it was known
in Washington. OF course they prn-
pared to meet it. Mcclellan moved
forward from Fortress Monroe with
over one hundred thousand men. He
approached the position of the rnbels
under Magruder, expecting Mcdowell
| n ern hu .pnt har N ntl tH.,
retreat, when they were driven back |;
Mcdowell never reached or started for
the point that he was to occupy. The
rebels were defeated and driven back {;
Instead of their defeat being cut of, the
road to Richmond was open TO them. =
If this had been assailed by Mcdowell
on their retreat, their capture or de.
struction was certain, and the march of
our army to Richmond would have been
unobstructed and its capture beyond al
doubt. The rebellion could not have
continued sixty days. This opportuni.
ty was lost. And why and by whom ?
Not by Mcclellan.
The Prince de Joinville tolls us that
Mcclellan is reinforced by Franklin's
division while on the Peninsula, and that
was all Of McDowell's forces that ever
came to him. The valor and endurance
of our troops overcame all obstacles,
and drove back the enemy to tho en-
trenchments around his capital. Nc.
Clellan has no Information from Wash.
ington as To the position of the troops
around Washington, doing nothing,
protecting nothing; but from rumors-
camp rumors-learns that McDowells
forces are at Fredericksburg and to the
front. Portor's corps, from the right
wing of the army, is sent to open com
municatlon with Mcdowell, il possible
Porter drives the enemy from Mechan-
icsvillc, and learns that Mcdowell s ad.
vance is only fifteen miles distant The
news of tte fact gives great JOY to the
army. Forty thousand additional troops
are to aid in the capture of Richmond.
Its fall 10 certain. An order comes
from Washington, and Mcdowell with.
draws his forces, blowing the bridges
up as he retires. Mcclellan is over.
whelmed by superior numbers, and
forced to retire, fighting as no retreating
army ever fought before.
Thus we see that twice, the rebel
capital is saved from falling into our
hands, not by any skill or courage
of its defenders, but by some un
explained acts of our own rulers. /
repeat that the fall of Richmond, the
defeat of the rebel army, would have
been the end of the rebellion.
The reasons for the movement of the
army under Mcclellan from the James
River, SO as 10 unite it with the one
near Washington, is boforo the country,
and needs no comment from me. The
correspondence between General Hal
leck and Mcclellan vindicates the one
and condemns the other.
When Popc's army retires to Wash.
ington before the army of Lee, let loose
from their prison in Richmond by the
removal of McClellan's from tho James
River, when tho capital is threatened,
Maryland is invaded, and Pennsylvania
menaced, Mcclellan is again called to
assume command, and drive the insolent
foe across the Potomac. lie reorgsn