The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-04-28
Extraordinary Report or the Committed
ON the Conduct of the War-Tsstimony
OF Hooker and Mcclellan.

Extraordinary Report or the Committee
ON the Conduct of the Wnr-Tsstimony
OF Hooker and Mcclellan.
We have before us the official report of the
Joint Committee of Congress on the Conduct of
the War, appointed in December, 1861 name
lyon the part of the Senate, r. F. Wade, of
Ohio, Chairman; z. Chandler, of Michigan, and
Andrew johnson, of Tennessee. On the part
Of the House, D. w. Gooch, Of Massachusetts;
John Covode, of Pennsylvania; G.. W. Julian,
of Indiana, and M. F. Odell, of New York. Ap-
pended to tho report, and now officially pub
lished for the first time, is the testimony of the
various witnesses examined. The report and
the testimony are divided into three parts: first,
on the "Army of the Potomac;" second, on
"Bull Run and Balls Bluff and, third, on the
"Western Department, or Missouri" This last
possesses some interest; the second is of small
| portant part containing. as it does, some very
curious testimony given by Generals Burn
side, Hooker and Mcclellan.
| We publish to-day in full the evidence Of the
two latter generals 1t will be seen that while
Mcclellan is the dignhed gentleman through
out, accusing nobody, but giving plain, I'M
vanished statement Of facts, without comment
or selfgloriHcation, Hooker indecently and flip
PANTY assails both Mcclellan and Burnside,
who were in succession his commanding gene
rails With shockingly bad taste he shows how
these generals failed in everything from sheer
incapaciiy, and how he would have been sue
cessful at all points if chance had only been
given to him. How reckless his statements are
may be estimated by comparing two of them
together. He swears that the army could
have moved right on and got into Richmond by
the second day after the battle of Williamsburg
without another gun being fired" Yet, mme-
diately before, he says ~ had a very severe
fight, and lost one thousand seven hundred men.
In consequence Of the condition of the roads
could not get up my ammunition, and my men
stood their ground with the bayonet and 10Th
such ammunition as they could collect from the
cartridge bores Of those ,oho had .fallen;" while
of the state of the roads the evening before
the battle he says:-"By that time the roads
had become so muddy-it was raining very
hard-he mud ,cos knee dep-and my men
had become so fatgued, that halted right in
the road" Perhaps il would not be out Of
place here to inquire why General Hooker
having the supreme command of the army fol
the last four months. has not during all thai
time moved right on aud got into Richmond
which is only the same distance from him al
Falmouth that IL was when he was at Williams
burg Nor is it of Burnside and Mcclellan
only that Hooker speaks so unexpectedly
: He represents three other generals who com
mandcd in the same army with him at Williams
burg as "three old women!" But Burnside, II
his General Order No. g, expresses . very de
cided opinion of Hookers chamberlain opin
ion a. to which the President said Genera
Burnside was right" As to Mcclellan, h
testimony is a complete answer to Hooker ant
all Others who have deprecated him. II effec
n tuslly exposes the cowardice Of the authorities
J., az Washington in the hour OF the nations peril
o When Lee crossed into Maryland so frightened
were they that no orders were issucd-none b,
/, stanton or IIallcck or anybody else, aud n,
general had authority TO march against IN,
rebel army. Mcclellan assumed the response
e bility, and saved the republic by the battles o
> South Mountain and Antictam.
IN The garing incompetence Of the committee
- Is made manifest by their silly questions, whicl
Is show bow entirely ignorant they are of mill
% tary affairs
b, Instead Of Analysing the evidence aud arriy
ine ut general conclusions ms TO the conduct o
= the war rointing ont the errors of the past an,
recommending reforms for the future. the,
y seem TO have devoted ali their energies Il
The mean effort OF crushing one man. and tina
man the only general that has exhibited NOR,
e than ordinary capacity since the war began
: But, instead Of succeeding in their object, the,
;. have been cfFectually successful in damaging
y themselves aud the administration, while they
!. have done great injury to the military reputs
!. ton Of the country. In their blind zeal b
strike a fatal blow against Mcclellan. tie,