The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-05-08

taken all their means of supply there. The
next cause for the failure of that campaign was
this: think if q junction of all our force had
been made after the battle of Hanover Court
House. we should have a sure thing of it,
q. What prevented that junction?
A. do not know. except that the troops
were not ordered down from Fredericksburg.
| understood that they had been asked for.
This testimony accords substantially
with that of the Prince DE JoINvILIE,
whose statements must be regarded as
made by witness who had no personal
ends to answer His statement is as fol-
lows, taken from his pamphlet, page Al ::
\ subsequent mOvementup the left bank in
the direction of West Point would put us so far
in the rear of the army charged with the de-
fence of the lines of Yorktown, that it would
have been in q most periOus position This
accomplished, the COnfederates must have
abandoned Gloucester and fallen back hastily
upon Richmond. The execution of this coup
de main had been left to corps of the army
commanded by Gen. Mcdowell. This corps
was to be the last to embark at Washington,
and it was calculated that it ought to reach
Yorktown in body on its transports at the
moment when the rest of the army, moving
down by land, should appear before that port,
from Fortress Monroe.
Instead of finding it, we received the mex
plicable and as yet unexplained intelligence that
this corps, So COO strong had been sent to an
other destination. The news was received in
the army with stupetaction, although the ma
jOrity could not foresee the deplOrable cOnse-
quences of step taken, it must be supposed,
with no evil intention, but certainly with incOn-
cciyablc recklcsSness. Fifteen days BEFORE
this measure, although it must have always
been injurious would have been much less so.
We might have made arrangements upon
new basis. Taken when it was, it deranged
n whole system of machinery fairly work
Among the divisions of McDOweli's corps. there
was one, that OF Franklin. which was more re-
@ cited than all the others as well on account
of the troops themselves. as of their command
ers. The Gcneral-in-Chiet had bestowed spe-
cial pains on its organization during the winter,
and earnestly demanded its restoration. 1t was
sent back to him without word of eXplana-
ton. precisely us it had been detached from
him. This fine division, Il 900 strong, arrived,
and fora moment the General thought of i'll
trusting to it alone ;iie Gloucester expedition.
But this intention was renOunCed
General William B. Franklin was also a
witness before the committee: he also diff
ters in opinion from General Hooker
General Franklin was asked ''To what
cause or causes do you attribute the tail
ure Of the penin>nar campaign ans
wer, The primary canse Was the detach-
ment of McDoweil's Corps from the Army
of the Potomac at the particular time at
which it was detached think the de-
tachment o! that corps left General McCIel-
Ian on tie peninsula with ali his plans de-
ranged"
The Prince de Joinvill also states:
On the night ofthc Goth (NIay) he (SIcCelan)
sent forward General POrtcrS division with a
few squadrons of cavalry, in furious storm, to
Hanover Court House, Village about twenty
miles north of Richmond, where the railway to
Fredericksburg crosses The Palnunhy The
troops Of Porter moved rapidly and about mid
day on the 18th, came upon the hostile Givis-
ion of Branch at Hanover Court House This
they assailci with ViwOr. dispersed it, and took
one of it, guns A,>acd i'll their turn by Con-
ttderatc troops who had suffered them 10 pass
by the woods in which they lay hidden, the
Fcdcra5 turned or th If .l-H @nen.inS AID scat
tered them also. This brilliant affair cost the
Fc!craS 40 men. AMI left General Porlcr in
Possession o., six cannon. of 800 prisoners. and
of two bridges. one Oh the FreelcIicks burg and
one On The Virginia Central road The adyan-
ced guard OF Mcdowell was then 1t Bowling
Green. fifteen miles from that OF Porter. 1t
needed only an effort OF the VIII: the two armies
were united and The possession OF Richmond
certain, Alas. this effort was not made. |
canBot recall tHest Fatal moments without Il
real sinking III heart.
Now, it is quite apparent that De join
vile, Generals Hunt, and Franklin, do not
concur with Hooker as to General McClel-
lan'S incompetency. An inquiry is natu-
rally suggested why Major General Fitz
John Porter who, under the general in
chief command, conducted the siege at
Yorktown, who fought the battle of Gaines
Mills, who captured Hanover Court House.
and who bore the brunt Of the fight at Nal
yern Hill, was rot called upon 10 give his
opinion upon the conduct OF the penin>uar
campaign. There, too, was General How
ard, from Maine, Il thoroughly educated
soldier, who lost an arm in one of the bat
ties before Richmond, and man of the
purest character, whose testimony would
have been universally believed by all who
knew him in the army and in the State Of
Maine. These witnesses were not called
for reasons doubtless satisfactory to the
committee. But General Hooker was I'M
der oath, and it is presumed meant to tes-
THY truly when he gave his opinion of
General McClellans qualifications as a SOL
der. This was, however, matter of opin-
ion A; it was also the opinion of General
Hooker that after the battle of Williams
burg the army could have moved right on
and got into Richmond by the second day
after that battle without another gun being
fired. Notwithstanding this opinion, the
committee themselves were satisfied that
Hooker had all he could do to hold his own
after that battle, and that the storm of the
next day rendered it absolutely impossible
to supply him with ammunition, much less
to advance.