East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-04-28
z * PO 8 u r. Z
Abolition Plot TO Cruch General
Mcclellan.
The Conduct of the War.
General Mcclellan and the Admins
tration.
report Of the Congressional COMMITTEES


tration.
X eport Of the Congressional Committee.
Mr. Wade's report from the Joint Committee on
theCon luct of the War has Just been communicated
TO tho Press 1t is paper of sixty four pages In
length about three-iourths OF which Is occupied
with the conduct, not OF the war but OF Gen. Nc
Clellan The report indeed opens with the asser-
tion that an inquiry into tie conduct Of the war
simply me ans an inquiry into the Army Of the Poto
mac. We accordingly lay before our readers all
that the committee themselves indorse ms important
in the results OF their labors.
After some general speculation on the organiza-
tion of the Army of the Potomac, and the plans for
the advance, winding up with a revival OF charge
that Gen Mcclellan was the cause OF the failure OF
the Navy Department TO prevent the blocade OF the
Potomac, the report proceeds:
LINE OF OPERATIONS.
After this long period of inaction Of tho Army OF
the Potomac the President of the United States on
the 3lst of January, 1867, issued tho following
or der:
Ordered That all the disposaLle force ot the
Army Of the Potomac after providing safely for the
defense Of Washington, be formed into an expedi-
tion for the immediate object Of sezing and occu-
pyinc n point upon the railroad s0uth-westwari OF
what is known us Manassas Junction; all details to
be in the discretion Of the General in Chief, and
the expedition to move before on the 22d day of
February mex"
To this order General Mcclellan wrote an elabor-
ate reply of tho same date, obiecting to the plan
therein Indicted as involving the of dividing
our army by very difficult obstacle (the oecoquan)'
and by distance too great 10 enable the two por-
tons to support each other should either be attack
cd by the masses of the enemy, while the other Is
held in check" lie then proceeded to argue In Ia
yor of a movement by way of Fortress Monroe CIV
ing the preference to the Rappahannock route. lie
stated that thirty days would be required TO provide
the necessary means Of transportation. lie stated
that he regarded "succcss as certain, by AL the
chances of war" by the route he proposed, while II
was "by NJ means certain that we can beat them
! (the enemy ut Manassas"
The decision of the council Of twelve Generals in
February was to move up by way of Annopolis, and
thence to the Rappahanaock The question oi
rcopening the navigation Of the Potomac by
driving the enemy from their batteries upon the
river. was discussed 1t was however, finally de-
cdcd that the enemy should be left in possession OF
their batteries, and the movement should DC mado
! without disturbing them. This Is proven by the
testimeny and also by the second paragraph of the
order Of the President, dated March 8, 1867 as fol-
! lows:
Ordered, That no change Of the base Of opera
tions Of the Army Of the Potomac shall bo made
without leaving in and about Washington such a
force as in the opinion Of the General in Chief and
tho commanders of the army corps, shall leave the
said city entirely secure.
"That no more than two army corps (about fifty
thousand troops) Of said Army OF tho Potomac shail
be moved en- route for n base of operations un-
Ill the Navigation Of the Potomac from Washington
10 tho Chesapeake Bay shall be freed from the enc
my's batteries aud other distractions, or until the
President shall hereafter give express permission.
"That any movement aforesaid en- route for a
new ba of operations which may be ordered by the
Gencral-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 of March
instant and the General-in-Ch shall be response
BILE that il so move early rs that day
Ordered, That the army and navy cooperate
in an immediate effort TO capture tho enemy's bat
tories upon tho Potomac between Washington and
the Chesapeake Bay.
Before the movement by way Of Annapolis could
be executed the enemy abandoned their batteries
upon the Potomac and evacuated their position Mt
Centrcvlc and Manassas retiring to the line oil the
Rappahannock.
When General Mcclellan, then in the city of
Washington heard that the enemy had evacuated
Manassas he proceeded across the river and order
cd general movement Of the whole army in the
direction of the position lately occupied by the enc
my They moved on the morning OF the l0th OF
March, the greater pirt ii proceeding no further
than Fairfax Court House. small force V nc
army proceeded to NJ inassas and beyond 10 tho
line Of the Rappahsnnos as ee,tain'ng ns .na. the
the railroad bridge across it.
On the lth of March Gen. Mcclellan ordered
by telegraph, the transports from Annapolis to
Washington alexandra y to embark the army
from there and informed the department that he
proposed to occupy Manassas with 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 terminating, for n time, in the battle
of Winchester, of March 23 prevented the force
under Gen Banks from leaving that valley.
On the 18th of March Gen Mcclellan convened
at Fairfax Court House council OF war, consisting
of four of the five commanders Of army corps (Gen.
Banks being abscnt and informed them that he
proposed to abandon his plan Of movement by way
of the Rappahannock and submitted TO them in
stead a plan of movement by way Of tho York and
James rivers Tho result Of the deliberations Of
that council rs follows:
First That the enemy having rctrcated from
Manassas to Gorionsville, behind the RappahanI
mock and the Rapidan it is the opinion of tho Cen
eral commanding army corps that the operations to
DO carried on will be best undertaken from Old
Point Comfort, between the York and james Xiv
era, upon Richmond; provided, first, that the enc
mys vessel, the Merrimac, can be neutraiized; !;
second the means for transportation sufficient for
an immediate transfer Of the force TO its new base
can be ready Mt Washington and Alexandra to
move down tho Potomac; third, that a naval auxil-
larry force be had silence aid in scncing the
enemy's batteries in York rivcr fourth, that the
force TO be left TO Washington shall he such
to give an entire folng Of security for the safety
from menace. Unanimous.
4 Second. IL the foregoing cannot be, tho army
Rappahannock ut the earliest possible moment, and
the Of recons,ructng bridges, repairing rail-
roads, and stocking thom with material sufficient
for supplying the army should at on;e be collected
for both tho Orange and Alexandra and tho Ao-
quia and Richmond Railroads Unanimous.
"NoTg-That with the forts ON tho right bank
Of tho Potomac fully garrisoned, and those on the
left bank occupied covering force in front OF the
Virginia line Of $4,000 mon would suffice; (Keyes,
lIeintzleman and Mcdowell, q total Of 40 600 men
for the defense Of tho city would suffice, Sumner"
The Same day General Mcclellan informed the
War Department shat the council of commanders
Of army corps havo unanimously agreed upon n
plan Of operations, and General Mcdowell will ut
once proceed with II to Washington and lay 1t be-
fore you"
To this the Secretary o! War replied "whatev-
er plan has boon agreed upon proceed at once to
execute, without losing an hour for my approval"
The plan Of operations was submitted to tho
President on the Same day, and he approved the
same; but gave the following directions rs TO its
execution
First. Leave such force at Manassas Junction
rs shall make il entirely certain that the enemy
sha not rcpossess himself Of that position and linc
} Of communication.
Second. Leave Washington secure"