Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-09
ANOTHER REPORT OF GEN MCCLELLAN
OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLES OF
SOUTH MOUNTAIN AND ANTIETAM

IOFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLES OF
SOUTH MOUNTAIN AND ANTIETAM.
The Republican of last evening publishes furuishe
oy the Government the following official report from Gen
MCCLELLAN. beginning with the evacuation of Harrison
Landing. and covering his operations in reaching Aqu
creek and Alexandria; his resumption of the command
the forces after the failure Of Gen Pope and his opera
tons in Maryland, including the battles Of South Monnta
and Anteam 1t s important and interesting bling tbt
only osa account of those bloody battles yet published
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE PoToMAc,
4 October Is, 1862
GENERAL: have the honor to submit DR. limnary re
port OF the military operations under my charge since tb.
evacuation of Harrison's Landing.
The measure directed by the Generalin Chief exc
cued successfully With entire safety my command
its material, between the l4th apd 10th o August Th
line of withdrawal selected that of The mouth OF The
Chickahominy, Williamsburg, and Yorktown Upon TIL.
moved. Heintxsuans corps crossing the al
Joness bridge, and covert BY it's march the movement
Of the main column The passage Of the Lower Chicka
homny was effected by means Of batteau bridge tao
thousand feet 10 length The transr Of the army to York
completed BY the 10Th Of August The embarka
on and and Fortress Mon
at commenced and rapidly as the means OF
transportation admitted every thng sent forward to
Aqua creek and Aexandrs No sketch of an under
taking magnitude and military charac-
ter will suffice to do Justice must now however content
myself with smp notice Of it. deferrDg full desc pton
for my official report Of the campaign before Rchmond-a
lbor which propose to undertake events will
aford me the necessary tine. Justice to the achieve
mens # the Army Of tae Potomac and the brave men
who composed It, requires that the official record Of that
campaign should be prepared with than crcu-
have hitherto permitted me to BE- stow upon it, The
delay will not have been felt Injurious to the public in
terest inasmuch BY frequent reports from lime to time
have kept the Department advised of events they
CURED.
reached Aqua Greek with my sta on the Gath OF Au
gust reported my arrival and asked for orders On the
9Th of August received from the Generaln Chief per-
mission to proceed to Alexandria where at fixed
my headquarters The troops composing the Army of the
Potomac were meanwhile ordered forward t. reinforce
the army under Gen Pope So completely was this order
carried out that the 3Oth of August had remainn
under my command only camp guard of about one hun
dred Every thing else had been sent to reinforce
Gen. Pope In addition, exhausted all the means at nv
dipcsal to forward supplies to that officer my own head
quarter teams even being used for that purpose.
Upon the unfortunate of that canpa IN received
an ntimation from the Chief that my services
were desired for the purpose of arranging for the defence
of the capital They were at once cheerfuly given al
though while awaiting definite instructions at Axandri,
had endeavored as just to promote favorable re.
suit in the operations then pending and had thus con RI
buted, though Indirectly yet as far could to the de-
fncs of Washington On the I'd of September the formal
order of the War Department placed ia command OF
the forfc atoms Of Washington land Of all the tr ops for
the de Of the capital" On the lst of September
had been instructed that had nothing do with the troops
engaged 10 active p-rations under Gen Pope but that
my command limited to the immediate garrison of
Washington. On the next day, however, verbally
instructed by the President and the General Chief to
assume command Of Gen. Popes troops (incluiing nv
own Army Of the Po0mac) soon as they approached
the vcy Of Washington, 90 out and meet them and
to pos them 40 deemed best to repuse the enemy aud
insure the safety Of the city
At this time the task imposed upon me was limited to
thu dispositions necessary 10 resist direct attack of the
enemy upon the capital Such indeed was the danger
naturally indicated by the defect Of forces in front
Tue various garsons thened and put
n order and the troops disposed to cover all the
nha arttu Il. n
threatened points New defences thrown up where
deemed necessary few days only had elapsed before
comparative security was felt with regard TO ability to
resist any attack upon the city The disappearance of the
enemy from the roa Of Washington and their into
Maryland enlarged the sphere OF operations aud ade an
active campaign necessary to Baltimore prevent The
INVASION o and dive them out of Maryland
Being bUnor with the charge Of this campaign
ut upon the additional duties imposed upon me with
cheerulnets aud trust yet not without feeling the weight
Of the responsibilities thus assumed and being deeply
pressed With the magnitude Of the issues involved
Having made the necessary arrangements for the de-
fence Of the ci in the condition Of thngs pushed
forward the st and 9tb corps under Generals Reno and
Hooker forming the right wing under Gener raj Burnside
to L,esburg the 5h instant thence the lat rps by
Brooksvlr Cookesville, and Ridgeville to Frederick
and the 9h corps, by Damascus New Market and FIRE.
derck he "a and Ilth corps, under Generals SUNNI
aud Williams, the 9th moved from T, naytown To
Rockville thence by Mddlebury aad Urbana on Frede
ok, the lth corps movg by lateral road between Ur-
bana and New Market thus maintaining the
tween the centre and right wing WILL as covering the
direct route from Frederick to Washington The Oh
corps under General Franklin was moved 10
the 9th nsan thence by Dawsonve and Barpyile on
Buckeytown. covering the road from the mouth If the
Monucacy to Rockville and being position 10 connect
with and support the certe should have been
las was supposedly 10 force the line Of the Monocacy
Couchs division thrown forward to Ofut's Cr,,s-
Roads and Poolesvle by the road thus covering
that approach watching the fords o the Potomac and al
hmatey following and supporting the 9Th corp. The
object OF these movem- TO feel the enemyto com
pei him TO develop his nten.ionsit the same time that
the troops Ia position readily to cover Baltimore or
Washr gton to attack him should he hold the line of IN,
Mon,cacy, or to follow him into Pennsylvania if necessa
ry. On the IL portion Of the right wing entered rs
derrick, after brisk skirmsh the outskirts of the CITY
and in it's streets On the 18th the main ,dies of the
right wing aud centre passed through Frederick IL this
city the manifestations Of Union feeling were abundant
and gratifying The troops received the most n
W. cpine at the hands of the inhabitants a the 18th the
advance con ting OF Pessaut0ns cavalry and borse art
ery, after skrmishing, cleated the msn passage
the Catoctn hills leaving serious obstruction Ia
he movement of the main body until the Of the South
Mountain range REACHED.
While Mt Frederick the 18Th obtained reliable in.
formation Of the aud intentions of III. enemy
which made II clear that necessary to fires the pas
sage Of the South Mountain range gain possession o
Bnon-boro and RohIersylle before any relief could be
af rd.d d to Harper's Ferry
On the morning Of the 9Th receive verbal message
from O. Miles, commanding at Hsrper's Ferry informing
me that the preceding afternoon the Maryland heights
had been Abandoned after repeng attack by rebels
and that the whOls fprce concentrated at Harper
Ferry the Maryland, Lnudoun aud Bolivar Heights being
all ia poss Of the enemy hs messenger
Mprylsnd Heights snd that Though Col les a,krd for
he said he couId hold