Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-01-16
SECOND EDITION.
THREE O'CLOCK p. n.
ruI MCDOWELL COURT OF INQUIRY.
IMPORTANT LETTER PROM rHB PR4sIpEyT.

To-day, Gen. Ricketts, was examined, testify
ies that ,he road by which hr was ordered 10
H13rch Thy Gen. McDoweil) on the morning OF
the 18th August, WAS 80 sbstruc.ed by wagons
in his front as greatly 10 impede the progress Of
bis commsnd.
Msisr GEM Hitchcock was next called, and
testified at length relative 10 force lert for The
prctec:icn OF Washington when MrCl-lians
army started1or tho Penins uis. In the course
of his testimony the following letter from the
President was laid betor. the court
wAsHIEGToy, April O. 1889
Major Cer<ra, Nc Clellon-Ny Dear Sir: Your
dispatches complaining that you are not prop
erly sustained, while they do not Offend mr.,
pain me- very much.
Blenker's division WAS Withdrawn from you
before you left here, and you knew thn pressure
under which did NJ; and a. thought acqui-
esced in it-certainly not without reluctance.
After you LETT I asccrlzincd that less thaa
5000 unorgsnised men, without a single field
battery, were all you designed to be left Tor the
defence OF Washington and Manassas June
ton; and part OF this even was TO so TO General
Hookcr's old position.
Gen. Banks's corps, ouce designed for Mans.
sas junction, ~as divided and tisd up on the
lire Of Winchester and Strssburg, and could
"
Potomac and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
This presented Tor would present, when Nc
Dowell and Sumner should be gone q great
temptation for The enemy to turn hack from the
Rappahannock and sack Washington.
My explicit directions that Washington
should, by the Judgment Of all the commanders
OF corps, be left entirely secure, had bcca
entirely neglected. 1t was precisely thI7 TIA.
drove me TO detain Mcdowell do not rorrpt
that was satisfied with your arrangement, 20
leave Banks at Msnassas Junction; but WIN. 4
that arrangement was broken up, and nothing
was substituted for It. OF course / was not
satisfied; was constrained ~ sub titutr some
thing for il myself.
And now, allow me TO ask, do Won really
think should permit the line from Richmond.
ria Mapasses Junction, TO this city, 10 be IN .
tlrciy open, except what resistance could ba
pre-ented by less than 2c,05O uuorganized
troops" This Is aquesiion which the country
will not allow me 10 eyade.
There is g curious lny stery about the number
Of troops now with you. lielegraphed you on
tie eth, saying tn at you had over 100, oo9 with
you. i had Just obtained from the Secretary of
War a statement taken, as he said, from vour
own returns making itr, CO., then with you and
roui> 10 you.
lou now NV you III ave Out NJ.tss, when
all route to you shall have reached Won
How can this discrepancy Of 35Gp0 be account.
ed for
As to General Wools command, under
stand IL 10 doing tor you precisely what a like
number OF your own would have 10 do If that
command was away. 1 suppose the whole
force which hiss gone forward 70 YOU + with
you by this time; and, if 20, think II is the
precise time for Won TO strike blow Rydalsv
the enemy will readily gain on you: that Is, he
will gain faster by Notifications and reinforce.
mants, than you can By reinforcaments alone.
And once more, let ne tell you, il is indis-
pensable to YOU that you strike a blow! am
powe. less 10 help this. You will do me the
justice 10 remember, always wished not 90
ing down the bay in search OF a field, I'm stead
OF fighting al or near Manassas, as emily shift
ing and not surrounding a difficulty; that we
would find the same enemy and The same or
equal entrenc hments n either place The
country will not fail to note-is noting now
that the present hesitation 10 move upon an en-
trsnchea enemy Is but the story of MANASSAS
repeated.
beg 10 assure you that have never written
or spoken 20 you in greater kindness Of feeling
than now, nor with u ruler purpose to sustain
yeu, SO far as in my most anxious judgment
consistently can. Bat ~ Hvs act
Yours, very truly,
(SiSned,) A. LINCOLN.