Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-08-01

, We i; 4spscs sos the following 'sh ae'-
~" FIR tie Enf'iirsf..
The following interceptc letter. from Gene"
raj Mcclellan, is not quite az Kiha To Mi .oss.n
ton as the one Addressed TO tile occIel'''
| himself:
NEAR THE GuNBoATs,
July 2lst, 1867. J
:Nv Dear Mfr. President:
Has it occurred to your mind this orlght
morning that this is the anniversary OF Inc
battle Of Manassas When look out on
this muddy river and hear it called the
IS James," and then look at these dirty, s9uaiid'
disheartened soldiers, and remember that theY
we're the neat, tidy fellows, who used to Drag
so much Of what they would do, pes'h 10
think that I celebrated the battle of Manassas
some twenty days too soon. You know very
we'll Mr.. President, that it is the part OF inc
stratesist to represent battles little dihereh,
from the fact-Napolcon did it. Sebaslapoi
witnessed it, and Washington has gotten Ia
miiar with it. So long as no one detects 'hc
strategy. all is well; but spite OF the eliortS
NJ Aaiutant General Bennett, Of the Herald
to represent my strategic movement as Stea'
triumphal march, the country Viii thihh
that have been beaten, or, to use your Gas
sic phrase, &" licked ont of my boots. Ana
what makes the matter worse is that The re-
bels have found, in our deserted camps, thou-
sands OF letter envelopes, with my likeness
on them, and the motto from my great Specch'
We have beat our last retreat Now; my
dear Mr.. Lincoln, when we advanced back
wards from Meadow Bridge to this place-a
distance Of near forty milcs-we beat no re-
treat. We had broken all our drums, and,
for fear ofattracting rebel shells, the orders TO
30 forward to the rear, were always gwen at
nirht and in whispers. So that, literally anu
truly, we beat no retreat and, (betwcen You
and me,) we beat nothing else. All this Is
Sctto vocs or rs you happily express it, hon
or bright and no blabbing."
Now, my dear Mr.. President, We have to
consult, or, as you classically say, put our
heads together" to explain this retrogade
movement of my troops; or, what you have
graphically called, ga gwine the wrong ROAD
to Richmond" 1t is apparent, Or, as You
happily say, ~ man with one eye can seq,
that we have been out-gcncralcd or have been
olIt-longhi. Now, neither the " Herald nor
the Tribune" will admit that We have bcclI
ont-fought. Hence We must admit that we
allowed the rebels 10 0ut-srneral us. NOW,
it was simply my business to fight the army,
or as you say, "run the mcrchnc as iound
it. Surely, It was no part Of my business to
watch the rebel Jack>"n. My good friend,
Mr.. Stanton, hal relieved lie of that hard
| task. Hence, If that alrucous rebel Was
LAUNDERING TIL iur right flank, al The very mo-
lnent Fremont and Banks were digging dirt
against him at Strashurg, Mr.. Stanton WAS tie
ceved, or, IN your lanGua.c, fooled" AMI
not /. There WAS no lack Of l;clicraSlnp III
the field, for was there. Our big mistake
was in letting the rebel Jackson escape. The
country wants victim-a scapc-goat, and the
President or Secretary Of War will aSsurcdly
be selected. Now, it never will do to let the
Chief Magistrate or, rs You term it, 1.-THE Big
Squire" of this glorious Cniun become a
hircuS--a goat-an animal So suggestive Of
appetite aud vdnr. 1t is, then, clear that the
whole blame ought In he thrown upon Air.
Stanton. No harm, will hc done thereby To
the co,utry--n0nc tu the ;,rIny--and nome to
your Exccllcncy- and none Ia myself.
And now, having Disposed OF that little
matter, as clevcrly as anything ever was done
at Sebastopol, wish to haze confidential
chat with YOU, or what yon appropriately
call, "a little private jaw.
All my dispatches, and all the letters Of
officers and soldiers, from my late camp on
the Cnckahominy, represented the rebels Is
utterly disorgalIzctl, dcuUrallscti, dSlIcartcI!-
cd, ragged, starving, disconnected and inrlti-
nous, with poor arms, inferior artillery. and
wrctchcu ammunition. How comes it then,
inquiries, or will inquire the London Times -
that 1.-The best drilled, best equipped and best
appointed army that the sun ever shOnr upon
has been driven out Of its entertainments and
chased thirty-tiye miles by these frightened,
half-clad and hali-armcd rebels My dear
Mr.. LiuEyln' it, -. :. 'l-""ti"" And yet it
-...i,s OF just as satisfactory All answer ms
that other question about change Of basc.-
Talking about bases, reminds Iuc nf the fact
that Il large number "f my gallant oIliccr;
We're killed from bchind who had steel platc.;
OH their breasts. Oh, how many precious
lives might have been saved had ray brave
fellows clappcd these plates an the dnoe, and
not on the breast. But, tn return to the cX-
plantation. The rebels placed all their timid,
,iiSucctcd aid dcmuralizcl troops III the inrc-
! front of the battle, gave them nothing but
tlint-lock muslirts and the worst ammunition
in their army. This made tho poor devils III
front perfectly desperate, So they marched
right up 10 our batteries, shouting merrlly,
and seemed To enjoy being kllled-lic had
f,ec0ne srIcll burden to them. My men are
far drawer than the rebels, and they stand he
ruically by their Iong-range guns until the
short-ramne pieces of the rebels begin to play.
The courage OF my men is Of the highest or
der, but, with true Yankee shrewdncSS, they
know that death and wounds won't pay
Hence, they object to close quarters.
doubt not that have made plain to yom
the true case Of the extraordinary fighting
qualities of the rebels. In fact. fancy that
hear YOU cXclaim. "clcar rs mud"
And now, reverend and dear sir, | nave
but. one more little difficulty to remove. We
| claim that We have killed and disabled seven
tv-Iivc thousand rebels, and that all their
best officers and men are hors de combat, or,
in your classic language, " laid on the shclfto
dry" "li that be So says the London
Times, "why don'tyou march into Richmond,
'Squelch' the rebellion, and let lis have cotton
and tobacco" ALI, Mr.. President, | have
a simple answer to this. Don't you rcnlcm-
her the razor-strop man, and hOw many
classic and refined jokes you used to have
with him And don't you remember his en-
quistc bit Of hulnor, pun and ALTERATION =
Mr.. Lincoln, can beat you on the sharp,
but you can beat me OH the smart" Well,
the razor-strop man seemed always to be sell
ing his last razor, hut when the crowd was
about TO leave, lie would cry out, "a few
more Of the same sort LETT" All, Mr.. Prrsi-
dent, the best of the rebel troops may be
killed and woundcd but fear that "a few
Of the same sort may be LETT
With sentiments ufLlic most exalted esteem,
am, your obcdient servant,
4, e MCt'IrIIIS