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

II W do uloO lIOOhCI Olll!lUll. Djt NE L 1EW
Of NU'ch, 1868, that the fight at Will
iamsburg "was the hardest fight that has
been made this war; In that fight, he
says, we lost ZOO men. Before this tes-
tiL:Ony was given, there had been quite Il
number of severe fights ut the West, be-
sides all our desperate contests before
Richmond, and the battle of Antietam.-
We suppose all these opinions are equally
sound
There is another part OF Gen. Rockers
testimony worthy OF notice. He evident
ly means to convey the idea that General
Mcclellan was not present during the bat
tie of Malvern Hill This was unworthy
of soldier. Hear him. 90 Where
was the general-in-chiet during the battle
of Malvern? A. understood he was on
board the gunboats. @ Did you see any
thing of him on the ground that day? A.
| saw him once Now hear the truth
from another witness, General Hunt
Z. Were you at the battle of Malvern
Hill? ~. Yes, sir, commanding the re-
serve OF the army there. @ That was
pretty severe battle? a. Yes, sir, a hard
fought battle. Q. Did the general COM
handing that army take the active COM
mand Of that battle? a. The general-in-
chief, for the most art of that day, was
at the central position he had indicated as
his headquarters-at IIaXall. In the at
ternoon he came up on the plateau and
rode along the lines among the troops,
and was up there for some time. He
passed the position where l was. To the
best of my knowledge he directed the gen
eral movements of the battle. | did not
see him eXcep3 when he came on the field
was not at his headquarters at all. In
the morning | went with the then chief of
Typographical engineers, now Gen Hum
phreys, and we We're joined by the chief
engineer, Gen. Barnard, in obedience to the
instructions ofMcClelan, us was informed
by General Humphreys, to select positions
on the field, according to its formations,
as indicated, | believe, by Gen. McClellan's
map. We had got nearly around the
field, and had indicated the different DO
sltlons, | selecting those for the artillery,
when | perceived q party coming after us,
and recognized General Mcclellan among
them. He followed and rec,iied the line
of battle-in some places changing it
and went away, at least disappeared from
my sight, after he had got around for
about two thirds OF the line occupied by
the army. This | suppose was about . or
10 O'Clock O. Was this before the battle
commenced? y. That was in the morn
Ing before the battle commenced. know
that &e went over that much of the line,
examining every position which he had III
Glratet', changing where he thought prop
er And understood that he completed
the entire circuit before taking up his po-
sition at liaXail, which he had selected as
his headquarters.
Thus much for Gen. IIooker'S opinion
of Gen Mcclellan No quotations lave
been made from the testimony of General
Mcclellan
That Mcclellan directed ;lc plan Of
Malvern and that Porter fought it gal
l;,rtly are two facts which the array know
perfectly well, AMI which the country
viii know some day, il they do not now.
Out Oh these e,:;l"., who, like robbers
OF the dead, 90 oTtr the battlefield to
steal the regulations Of the brave. They
disgrace their country aud humanity.
7l,CAIa.LiN'> ps.ANS AND CAM
E'.aIqiNS.
Wis Testimony @s"surc the War Conn
isi.s:"H.
The dissemination broadcast oser the
country OF tic malicious and pettitogging
report OF the Committee for Investigating
TIE Conduct OF the War, with garbed ex-
tracts from the testimony, six or eight
weeks before the publication OF the testi-
mony in tull without distortion or garb-
ling, was trick well calculated to induce
that preiueiging Of tAt case which would
c&ll>e tl:e testimony it>tll 10 be read Citat
alb with !aundiced $685. The trick was
intended 10 operate - the prejudces of
General Mcclellan IN various ways. In
the first place, it tended 10 blunt curiosity.
and prevent the public froln reading the
great mass of the testimony, of which they
might suppose they had got q very good
general idea from the elaborate and
lengthy report of the committee. Most
people who had waded through that would
feel little inclination after an interval OF two
months to read formidable of testimony.
unless they had strong reasons for mis-
trusting the fairness of the report. In the
next place, few people have either the
leisure or the skill in sitting or colating a
voluminous body OftestimOny which would
enable them to reach just conclusions
when great multitude Of particulars are
to be considered and compared. Mr..
Wade's committee seem to have good
practcle knowledge OF the adage that
talsehoods travels a thousand leagues
while truth is putting on its boots; and
they set the report flying over the country
in the hope that the more tardily published
testimony would never be able to over
take it,
Our space permits us to touch only Oh
the cardinal points on which the great