The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-07-12
War News of the Week.
FROM GEN. MCCLELLANs ARMY.

n. L.
The press has been chiefly occupied
during the past week in getting at the
details and true understanding Of the
events before Richmond from about the
Esd June to the Sd July, during which time
there was almost continuous fighting be-
tween McClellan's army and the rebels,
and some of it the heaviest fighting ever
known on this continent-so heavy, that
the loss on our side is put at from lo,oOV
to %, 900, and that of the rebels is admit
ted by themselves to have been from 3d.
900 to $4,000, while estimates have gone
up as high as $4,000
To give even the briefest ineligible
sketch of a series of events like these
would occupy a hundred times the space
ut our disposal. We can only glance at
skeleton of the place they have anna
such q fearful expenditure OF oiood
wrought out
The position of Mcclellan before Rich
mond two weeks ago was like this. His
line stretched from Hanover Court House,
II miles north o. Richmond, down through
the Chickahominy swamp, to point half
a mile west of Fair Oaks, miles directly
east of Richmond, while the base of his
operations was at White House, on the
nayigable waters Of the Pamunky, Is
miles in his rear, and with which he had
railroad and Geographic communication.
While the rebels we're no stronger than
when he took up his line, Gen. Nee.
knew he could defend it, and do more
but when he ascertained that the rebels
had been largely reinforced by Beaure-
gard, he began to have misgivings of its
tenability, and already we can :ote his
cautious arrangements to be ready to
evacuate his base at White House on
short notice About this time, however,
he is advised from Washington that
jackson had been reinforced
from Richmond with 10000 men, which
was equivalent to adding that many to
McClellan's army. At the same time he
saw from the movements of the enemy
that they contemplated an attack on his
right wing, the evident purpose of which
was to get in his rear and cut off his re-
treat to and communication with his base
at White House. The right wing he knew
was his weak point, and if determined
attack was made upon it, he would be
helpless. He was compelled, therefore,
to rely on skill,-on preparations, and in
the last resort, on strategy. He knew
that his right wing was likely to be at
tackled and beaten. But he believed that
this could only be done by superior
force and that this force must be drawn
from the rebel right. If the enemy
siren gthened his own left, he would in
the same ratio weaken his right wing
and over his right wing lay the road to
Richmond. Mcclellan, therefore, prepar-
ed his own right wing for prompt and
safe retreat to the other side of the
.Chickahominy, - prepared the White
blouse for a prompt and cheap surrender,
and prepared his left wing for prompt
and overwhelming advancc. He had mass
ed there the main body of his army, and
nearly all his artillery,-had caused roads
to be opened, causeways to be constructed,
and every preparation made for advancing
cannon, and stood ready to avail himself,
at an hours notice, of the expected trans
fer of the rebel strength from one side to
the other of his lines. He expected to
exchange the White House for Richmond,
and the bargain was good one.
But there was one incident connected
with this arrangement for which McClel-
Ian necessarily could make no provision
Stonewall Jackson was in the Valley of
the Shenandoah, where Fremont, Nc
Dowell and Banks were expected to de-
tain him, and where jackson on the other
hand was supposed to be sent to detain
them. He did so-ond a good deal more
For when the expected attack on McClel-
lan's right came, it proved to have been
made by jackson himself! Thus the
enemy's right remained strong as ever,
while our right was in danger of extermi-
nation. OF course all thought of advancing
our left must now be abandoned, and the
very existence of the whole army now
imperlled, absorbed every other care. The
enemy supposed he would press his re-
treat back towards the Pamunkey, and
Mcclellan by sending a cavalry force in
that direction helped on the delusion +;
while the sudden resolution he did take,
of throwing his whole army over narrow
and difficult roads, in the face of power
full, vigorous and exultant enemy, in a
direction nearly opposite to that in which
the enemy expected him to move, upon
new base 90 miles away, must stand as one
Of the most adreit and daring military
Mcclellan took was a narrow causeway
with swamp on each SIDE and had the
enemy understood his design, of course a
comparatively small force at the other end
BILE humiliation. They had, however, been
completely fooled, and Mcclellan knew it.
1t was only when the most dangerous part
of the road had been overo ONE when the
enemy become aware of his movement,
and although they then rushed upon him
with mad and reckless desperation, SO
fully was Mcclellan prepared for them
that he punished them tea times more
than they injured him. 1t was thus that,
10y Wednesday evening of last week, Gen.
Mcclellan had completely changed his
whole base line, from II miles north of
Richmond to 20 miles south, fighting q
dozen of severe battles during the move
ment with an army a third larger than his
own, and yet losing but half as many men
as the enemy.