The Portland daily press., 1863-01-17
BY TELEGRAPH.
TO THE
Portland Daily Press.
FROM WASHINGTON.
Our Relations with New Grenada.
THE MCDOWELL COURT oFINQUIRY
Letter from the President to General Nc
Cleilan.
WASHINGTON. Jan. I6.

w asHlNtION, JAN 10.
The President to-day sent a message to the
House in reply to a resolution asking why
Senior Murillo had not been received as the
representative of the revolutionary govern
ment OF New Grenada, and what communica-
tons had been had with Senior Herran, the
representative of the conlederacy of New
Grenada. The President recites the diplomat
ic relations heretofore existing between the
United States and New Grenada. In 1861 a
revolutionary war broke out in New Grenada,
assuming to set up new government under
the name of the United States of Columbia
This war had its vicssitudes but the revolu-
tionary organization has hitherto been simply
a military and provisionary power, without a
definitve constitution or government, and no
government of the latter kind has been organ
lied in lieu of the government of 1853, which
has been recognized by the United States.-
The United States Minister appointed in 1861,
was instructed, in view of the occupation of
the capital of New Grenada by the revolution
lists, and the universally of the war then
waging, not to present his credentials to either
government, but conduct his affairs informally,
as is customary in such cases, and report the
progress of events, and await the instructions
of his government. The advices received
have not been sufficient to determine the Pres
ident to recognize the revolutionary govern
ment and Gen. Herran being here as the rep
resentative of the government SO long recog-
nized, he has not received any representative
of the revolutionary government, as that
would be an act of recognition.
In the Mcdowell Court of Inquiry to-day,
Gen. Ricketts, was examined. He testified
that the road by which he was ordered to
march by Gen. Mcdowell on the morning of
the 2Sth of August, was SO DISTRACTED by
wagons in his front as greatly to impede the
progress of his command.
Maj. Gen. Hitchcock was next called. He
testified at length as to the forces left for the
protection of Washington when McClellan's
army started for the Peninsula. In the course
of his testimony the following letter from the
President was laid before the court.
Washington, Apru o, 1S62.-Major. Gen.
McClellan:- My Dear Sir:-Your dispatches,
complaining that you are not properly sus-
tanned, while they do not offend me, pain me
very much. Blenker's division was Withdrawn
before you left here, and you know the pres
sure under which | did it, and, as | thought,
acquiesced in it, certainly not without reluc-
lance. After you left / ascertained that less
than 10000 unerganized men, without field
battery, were all you designed to be left for
the defence of Washington and Manassas
Junction, and part of this, even, was to go to
Gen. Hookers old position. Gen. Banks
corps were designed for Manassas junction,
but were divided and tied up on the line OF
Winchester and Strasburg, and could not leave
it without again exposing the upper Potomac
and the Baltimore d Ohio Railroad. This
prevented, or would prevent, when Mcdowell
and Sumner were gone. a great temptation for
the enemy to turn back from the Rappahan-
mock and sack Washington. My explicit direc-
tons that Washington should, by the judgment
of all the commanders Of corps, be left entirely
secure, had been neglected. 1t was precisely
this that drove me to detain Mcdowell. l do
not forget that l was satisfied with your ar
rangements to leave Banks at Manassas juno
ton, but when that arrangement was broken
up, and nothing was substituted for it, of
course was not satisfied. / was constrained
to substitute something for it myself, and now
allow me to ask you, do you really think
could permit the line from Richmond, via Ma
nassas Junction, to this city 10 be entirely
open, except what resistance could be pre-
vented by less than 10000 unorganized men?
This is question which the country will not
allow me to evade. There is a curious mys-
terry about the number of troops now with
you. / telegraphed you on the 9th, saying,
that you had over 100000 men with you;
have just obtained from the Secretary of War
a statement taken, as he said, from your own
returns. makink 10000 then with you and en-
route TO you. You now say you will have but
5000 when all en- route to you shall have
reached you. How can this discrepancy of
$4,000 be accounted for? As to Gen. Woods
l.
cisely what like number of your own would
have to do if that command was away. | sup
pose the whole force which has gone forward
to you is with you by this time; and if so,
think it the precise time for you TO strike
blow. By delay the enemy will readily gain
on you, that is, he will gain faster by fortica-
ton and reinforcements than you can by rein
forcements alone. And once more let me tell
you it is Indispensable to you that you strike
a blow. l am powerless to help. This you
will do me the justice to remember. | always
wished not going down the bay in search of a
field instead of fighting at or near Manassas,
as only shifting and not surmounting diff
ficulty, and that we would find the same enemy
and the same or equal entertainments at either
place. The country will not fail to note that
the present hesitation to move upon an en-
trenched army is but the story of Manassas
repeated. | beg to answer you that | never
have written or spoken to you in greater
kindness of feeling than now, nor with fuller
purpose to sustain you so far as in my most
anxious judgment consistently can, but you
must act Yours, very truly,
A. LINCOLN.
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