Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-11-14

anu una'oidaoie delays in forwardinr
them, and in distributing them f. tba
different brigades and regiments. r,ors
all the information can obtain
opinion that the requisition from th..
army have been filled more promptly ,nI
that the men, as general rule b,ro
been better supplied than our arn;o, -
Grating in the West. The latter h.I
operated at much greater Distance s
the sources of supply, and have had g.
less facilities of transportations In a.
believe that no armies in the wo,,I
while in campaign, have been ma,
promptly or better supplied than ours
Third-Soon after the battle Of Ane
tam, Gen. Mcclellan was urged to oir,
me information of his intended nav,
ments, III order that, if he moved bo,woo
the enemy and Washington, Reinforce
ments could be sent from this place, On
the LIST of October, finding that he nro.
posed to operate from Harper's Ferry.
urged him to cross the river at once and
give battle to the enemy, pointing ont ia
him the disadvantage of delaying til! the
autumn rains had swollen the Potomac
and impaired heroads On the 9th Oct
he was perempttorily ordered to "cross
the Potomac and give battle to the enemy
or drive him south. Your army must
move now while the roads are good" II
will be observed that three weeks have
elapsed since this order was given.
Fourth-In my opinion there has been
no such want of supplies in the army m.
der Gen. Mcclellan as to prevent his
compliance with the orders to advance
against the enemy. Had he moved to
the south side of the Potomac, he could
have received his supplies almost as read.
| lily as by remaining inactive on the north
Fifth-On the 18th of Oct. in tel
egram in regard to his intended move.
ments, Gen. Mcclellan stated that it
would require at least three days to sup
ply the first, fifth and sixth corps that
they needed shoes and other indispensable
articles of clothing, as we'll as shelter
tents. No complaint was made that any
acquisitions had not been filed and it
was inferred from his language that he
was only waiting for the distribution of
his supplies. On the 18th, he telegraphed
that a portion ofhis supplies, sent by rail,
had been delayed. As already stated,
agents were Immediately sent from here
to investigate this complaint, and they
reported that everything had gone for
ward. On the same date (the llth) he
spoke of many of his horses being broken
down by fatigue. On the 10Th he COM
planned that the rate Of supply was only
$50 horses per week for the entire army
there and in front of Washington" |
Immediately directed the quartermaster
general to inquire into this matter and
report why larger supply was not fur
nished. Mcigs reported on the 18th,
that the average issue of horses to Nc
Clellan's army in the field and in frOntof
Washington, for the previous six weeks,
had been 1859 per week, or 1914 in all.
In addition that large numbers Of mules
had been supplied, and that the number
of animals with Mcclellan S army on the
upper Potomac was over thirty -one thou
sand. He also reported that he was then
sending to that army all the horses he
could procure.
On the 18th, Mcclellan stated in re-
gard to Meigs' report that he had filled
every requisition for shoes and clothing;
T" Meigs may have ordered these articles
to be forwarded, but they have not reach
ed our depots and unless greater effort to
insure prompt transmission is made BY the
department of which Meigs is the head,
they might as we'll remain in New York
or Philadelphia, SO far as the army IS
concerned" Immediately called Melss
attention to this apparent neglect Oh h''
department. On the 25th he reported a'
the result of his investigation, tha' f0''
900 pairs of boots and shoes had 0een ~
ceived by the quartermaster of McClellan'
army at Harpers Ferry depot on the 7iS',