Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-06-11
THE ARMY OF THE PoroMAc.-A REVIEW.

THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.-A REVIEW.
We have already spread before our readers at
full length the Report made by the Joint Com
mittee Of Congress on the Conduct OF the War.
This report, which was given to the country In ad-
vance Of the testimony on which it purports to be
based, has been widely disseminated, having been
furnished for this purpose to the political press 1t
has, moreover, been printed in pamphlet form,
and industriously circulated by class Of persons
who, in performing this labor Of love, Cor hate,)
doubtless suppose themselves to be doing the
State some service, when to others they appear ra-
Their in the guise Of gratifying their peculiar
prejudices.
The Fictitious importance thus given to this
document may perhaps deserve to procure for 1t
more respectful treatment than its origin or con-
tents would alone command, and as the grand Army
Of the Potomac, under its present energetic leader
has for some weeks suspended its active opera
tons and gone, with the approval OF the entire
country, into spring and summer quarters, we have
had ample leisure for reviewing what this brave
but unfortunate army did under the lead of Gen.
Mcclellan, who, it seems early lost the confidence
of the War Committee by retaining his untried
troops inactive during the winter Of lS6l262.
five could have foreseen the recent long inactivity
of this army during the season most favorable for
military movements, we might have made our re-
view of its past operations at earlier day; but,
surprising as we did that all our available space
would be taken up, after the mud of winter had
dried, with the chronicle of its marches, battles,
and conquests under its present gallant and fight
ing" leader, we did not Immediately address our
selves to the retrospect invited by the committee
During the last three or four weeks, however, we
have devoted q portion of our time to the perusal
of the evidence on which the committee profess
to base their report, and, while the Army Of the
Potomac is lying idle under the summer bowers
with which we pleased to learn the troops have
embellished their familiar camps at Falmouth, we
suppose we cannot do better than entertain our
readers with the narrative of what it accomplished
under less active and energetic leader If our
narrative should at any time be interrupted by
renewal of hostilities between Gen. Hooker and
Gen. Lee, it will be easy for to resume it again,
and to pursue our investigations of Gen. McClel-
lan's conduct under the additional advantage of
comparing it with that of Gen. Hooker as evidenced
by still other achievements than those which sig
nalized the campaign of Charlottesville.
In referring to the very voluminous testimony
compiled by the committee, we deem it necessary to
make few preliminary observations by way Of in
PRODUCTION, that the reader may properly estimate
the value of the report condensed from it.
In the first place, it is to be remarked that the
committee put forth their publication without hav
ing before them mole than single official report
of the operations on which they pronounce judg.
ment. That was the report of Gen. Barnard.
In the seond place, while clothed with power
to send for papers as well as persons, and while
aware, from the Annual Report Of the Secretary of
War in the month Of December, 1862, that " the
communications 6et,ceen the Department and the
respet tine commanders ,oere prepared under a re-
solution of the Senate at the last session. for trans
mission to Congress, they never called for these
most important documents, and waited to be bluntly
reminded by Gen. Halleck Of their duty and pri-
yeges under this head. When he was summoned
before them as late as March 7, 1863-the COM
mittee was appointed early in December, 1851
the Generalin- Chief, in reply to question about
the operations of the Army of the Potomac, sug-
gested the way in which they could procure au-
thentic information on the topic Of their inquiry.
He said--we quote from the printed testimony,
page Ash:
81 would make this suggestion either the Senate
or the House Of resentatives-perhaps both-made
call upon the Department for all instructions, teie
grams ORDERS Sc in relation to the Army Of the Potomac
They will furnish the most satisfactory evidence upon these
subjects.
"The Chairman, Mr. Wade Those papers were not
received by Congress before the close Of its last session.
and cannot be obtained by Congress unless another
call is made
"The witness. know that copies Of them oil have
been made and it the intention to send them to Con-
oress do not know the why they not
This committee haping poper from Congress send for
papers as nell persons, call upon the Ereeuipe for
those copies"
When thus left without excuse for persever-
ance in their total neglect of this source of infor
nation which one might suppose would have
been the FIRST applied to = what did the CON-
mittee do2 Send for the papers all prepared and
ready at their call By no means. The chair
man Of the committee, Mr.. Wade, having stated
that he had seen the large package Of papers re-
ferred to in the testimony Of Gen. Haeck, and
Judging that many of the papers there copied soere