The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-04-11
also by the second paragraph of the order of
the President, dated March 8, 1862, as follows:

also by the second paragraph of the order Of
the President, dated March 8, 1862, asfollows:
EXECUTIVE MANSION. March 8, 1862
"Presidents General War Order No. 3.
.Ordered, That no change Of the base Of
operations Of the Army Of the Potomac shall
be made without leaving in and about Wash
ington such force as, 10 the opinion Of the
Chief aud the Commanders Of al
the Army Corps, shall leave the said city en-
tirely secure.
"That no more than two Army Corps (about
fifty thousand troops) of said Army of the
Potomac shall be moved en- route for new
base of operations until the navigation of the
Potomac from Washington to the Chesapeake
Bay shall be freed from the enemy's batteries
and distractions, or until the President shall
hereafter give express permission. ~,
'.That any movement aforesaid en- route for
q new base of operations, which may be ORDER
ed by the General~in. Chief. and which may be
intended to move upon the Chesapeake Bay,
shall begin to move upon the Bay as early as
the 18th March inst, and the General.in>
Chief shall be responsible that it SO move as
early as that day.
"Ordcred, That the Army and Navy CO op,
crate in an immediate effort to capture the
euemy's batteries upon the Potomac between
Washington and the Chesapeake Bay
1t s es ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
,"L. THOMAS, Adit..Gen."
Before the movement by way of Annapolis
could be executed, the enemy abandoned their
batteries upon the Potomac, and evacuated
their position at Centreville and Manassas, re.
firing to the line Of the Rappahannock. a4o
= MOVEMENT OF THE ARMY.
When Gen. Mcclellan, then in the City Of
Washington, heard that the enemy had evacu-
ated Manassas, he proceeded across the river
and ordered general movement of the whole
army IN the direction of the position lately oc-
cupied by the enemy. The enemy moved on
the morning of the 10Th of March, the greater
part of it proceeding no further than Fairfax
Court-House. A small force of the army pro.
ceeded to Manassas and beyond to the line of
the Rappahannock, ascertainipg that the enc.
my had retired beyond that river and destroys
ed the railroad bridge across it. !. i.-sf,
On the l1th of March Gen. Mcclellan order.
ed, by telegraph, the transports from Annapo-
lis to Washington alexandria, to embark the
army from there and informed the Department
that he proposed to occupy Manassas with q
portion of Gen. Banks command, and throw
all the force he could concentrate upon the
line previously determined upon. Subsequent
events in the valley of the Shenandoah, termin-
ating, for time, in the battle of Winchester,
of March 3d. prevented the force under Gen.
Banks from leaving that valley. =s--@s
"a@3 ANOTHER COUNCIL, A.R55
On the 18th of March Gen. Mcclellan cons
vened at Fairfax Court House council of war
of four or FIVE commanders of army
corps, (Gen. Banks being absentl, and in
formed them that he proposed to abandon his
plan of movement by way Of the Rappahan-
mock, and submitted to them instead plan Of
movement by way of York and James Rivers
The result OF the deliberations Of that council
was as follows:
ARMY OF THE PoToMAc,
FAIRFAX Court House, March Is, 1862. I 4
ga council of he Generals commanding
army corps at the headquarters ofthe Army of
the Potomac were of the opinion: a.. Il
First: That the enemy having retreated
from Manassas to Gordousville, behind the
and the Rapidan,it is the opin
ion of the generals commanding army corps
that the operations to be carried on will be best
undertaken from Old Point Comfort. between
the York and James Rivers, upon Richmond,
provided first, that the enemy's vessels, the
Merrimac, can be neutralized; second, the
date transfer of the force to it's new base can
be ready at Washington and Alexandria to
move down the Potomac; third, that naval
auxiliary force can be had to silence or aid in
silencing the enemy's batteries in York River;
fourth, that the force to be left to cover WASH
ington shall be such as to give an entire
feeling of security for its safety from menace
Unanimous. -'tN 5 g G.i 80
''Sscond: If the foregoing cannot be, the
army should then be moved against the enemy
behind the Rappahannock at the earliest pos
sible moment, and the means for reconstruct.
ing bridges, repairing railroads, and stocking
them with material sufficient for supplying the
army. should at once be collected for both the
Orange and Alexandria and the Acquia and
Richmond Railroads Unanimous. ."
MORE That with the forts on the right
bank Of the Potomac fully garrisoned, and those
On the opposite side occupied, covering force
10 front of the Virginia line of $4,000 men
,Keyes, Heintzelman and McDoweil.) A total
IF 10000 men for the defense of the city would
suffice, (Summer.y'
The same day Gen. Mcclellan informed the
War Department that s.the Council of Com
handlers Of Army Corps have unanimously
agreed upon plan Of operations. and Gen.
will at once proceed with it to
" ashlngton ana lay 1t before you. .r.,a. /
To this the Secretary of War replied: .What-
ever plan has been agreed upon proceed at
once to execute, without losing an hour for
ny approval"
THE PRESIDENTS ORDERS.
The plan of operations was submitted to the
President on the same day, and he apr owed
the same; bat gave the following directions as
10 its execution: ~ AN s. .e.Gg s 4
"Frst; Leave such force at Manassas juno.
ton as shall make it entirely certain that the
enemy shall not repossess himself Of that pc
sition and line Of Communication Be rs. Q
s'Second: Leave Washington secure.
Q "Thira: Move the remaining force down the
Potomac, choosing new base at Fortress
Monroe, or any where between here and there;
Or, at all events, move such remainder of the
army at once, in pursuit of the enemy, by
some route" 4l aaaisa
EMBARKATIoN OF THE ARMY. 5}E
The army was directed to return to tAIexan-
dria to be embarked for the Peninsula previous
to their embarkation all the corps to be concen.
trated upon the division nearest Alexandria. II
The transportation not proving sufficient for
i'm mediate embarkation, the troops were, for
L. Al L. q