The Placer herald., 1863-01-31

tion OF things when proclamation Of thi
sort could be urged AS the only meaus of Sc
curing to us success.
Some ot the reasons are now before lh,
public why Mcclellan did not capture Rich
mond. AT the last session of Congress,
commented on the fact that the armies O
the Potomac, instead of being massed, wer,
divided into four or five corps, and eact
corps under an independent commander; nc
two Of them co operating together; thus
enabling mass corps of rebels under Jack
son to defeat three of them, and to unit
before Richmord in repulsing Mcclellan.
will not now repeat what | then said.
refer to the fact as a link in the chain O
evidence which | shall to-day adduce
! There WAS, during the whole time McClel
demands that he should advance upon Richl
mond The class of persons who raised the
outcry were the persons who favored emanl
cipation. This clamor forced from Mcclellan
his iiIan Of compagn, as we are told bv the
| Prince de JoinviIle, which the rebels learned q
few days after it was known in Washington.
OF course they prepared to meet i. McCle!
Ian moved forward from Fortress Monroe with
over nine hundred thousand men. He ap
! preached the position Of the rebels under
Magruder, expecting Mcdowell to 90 by an
other route to cut off the retreat, when they
were driven back Mcdowell never reached
or started for the point he was to occupy
| The rebels were defeated and driven back
instead of their retreat being cut off, the
road to Richmond was open to them II
this had been assailed by Mcdowell on heil
retreat; their capture or destruction was Ger
tain, and the march of our army to Richmond
would have been unobs,ructed, and its capture
beyond all doubts. The rebellion could no,
have continued sixty days. This opportuni
ty was lost. And why and by whom9 Not
by Mcclellan.
The Prince de Joinville tells us that Mcclellan
is reinforced by Franklin's division while ON the
Peninsula, and that was all of Nc Dow ellis forces
that ever came to him, The valor and endurance
OF our troops overcame all Obstacles and drove
back the enemy to the entrenchments around his
capital. Mcclellan has no information from
Washington as to the position Of the various
troops around Washington, doing nothing, pro-
tecting nothing; but from rumors-cump rnmors
learns that McDowell's forces are at Freder-
lcksburg and to the front, .Pnrtnr's onrne frnm
hhuncatioD With Mcdowell if possible Porter
drives the enemy from Mechanicsville, and learns
that McDowell's advance is only fifteen miles dis
tant. The news Of the fact gives great joy to the
army. Forty thousand additional troops are to
aid in the capture of Richmond Its fall is cer
tain. An order comes from Washington, and
Mcdowell withdraws his forces blowing the bridg-
es up as he retires. Mcclellan is overwhelmed
by superior numbers, and forced to retire, fight
ing rs retreating army never fou eht before.
Thus that twice the rebel capital is
SlVp pl Ill iut any
skill or courage of its defenders but by some un-
explained acts of our own rulers. | repeat that
the fall OF Richmond, the defeat OF the rebel army
would have been the end of the rebellion
The reasons for the movement OF the army
under Mcclellan from the James river so as to
unite it with the one near Washington. is before
the country and needs no comment from me,
| The correspondence between Generals llaleck
| and Mcclellan vim Iicates the one and condemns
| the other
When Pope's army retircs to Washington be-
fore the army of Lee, let loose from their prison
| in Richmond by the removal OF McClell ms army
| from the James river; when the capital is threat
ened, Maryland invaded, and sylvania men
aced, Mcclellan is again called to assume com
mand, and drive the insolent foe across the Poto-
mac He rc-organizes the disordercd blttaons,
brings order out of cOnlusiOn; marches large
army over one hundred miles, and in less than
twenty days fights two battles. wins them both
and drives the rebels the Pootmac; relieves
the capital, aud gives courage to our army
Things being in this position, on the 22d OF Sep
tember the President issues his Pro- lamation to
free the negro, and follows it up by the one Of
the oath, to make slaves of white men. McClel-
Ian refused or failed to endorse either OF them
in his order to the army, and then his removal
was decided upon. His competency to command
had nothing to do with his removal. lie had
vindicated tnat. The idea of these people seems
to be that proclamations are all that is necessary
to make war successful. They issue procama-
tions to free the negro, and call that vigorous
prosecution Of the war.
The charge that Mcclellan failed to relieve
Harpcr's Ferry is 4 mere preteXt got up to order
| by a commission Of the lineal descendants of JUS
tlce Shallow, and they. like their ancestors, have
| written themselves down us asses. Their find
ngs has but to be read to be condemned. The
learned commission find Colonel Ford censurable
because he surrendered Maryland Heights after
he was relieved; and the same commission CEN
sureu Mcclellan because he did not relieve that
| point. Here is their finding:
"Ihe General-in Chief also tcstilies that in his
opinion General Mcclellan could and should have
| relieved Harpers Ferry and in this opinion the
commission fully concur.
"By reference to the evidence, it will be seen
that 1T the very moment Colonel Ford abandoned
Mary land Heights, his little army was in reality
relieved by Generals Franklin and Sumner S
corps at Champion S Gap, within seven miles OF
MS poSltloh.
Truth is consistent f,lsehood and error are
inconsistent. The finding OF the commission is OF
the latter character. The commission gives
lucts and dates which shows conclusively that
Mcclellan did all that could be done to relieve
Harper's Ferry, emitting one that will supply
On the ! lth Of September he telegraphed to
Colonel Miles to have Colonel Miles ordered to
join him at once All communication had been
destroyed on the TIN with Harper's Ferry. On
| the 18th OF September Halleck telegraphed
Wool to place his troops under the command OF
Mcclellan, (Which included Harper's Ferry)
On the 18th Of September, Mcclellan Tor the
first time learns the situation of Harpers Ferry,
and without delay, as is shown by the Commits
sion itself, orders Summers and Franklin's corps
to its relief. give but brief statement OF the
facts; it is sufficient. On the same day Harper
Ferry was placed under Mcclellan, Brlgadler
General White arrived at Harper's Ferry he
waived rank to Colonel Miles, thereby conlessine
his inability to assume command in conformity to
his rank yet the commission says he did noble
| and gallant spryicp find nothing TO CpnSure IN