Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1863-01-02
For the Gazette
Little Mac.-Coutinued.

!
Nh. EDrToR:-With your permission tn
/, "eventful history" will here be resumed.
After due delay having been made to pre-
pare the "twenty-four superb baggage wagons
for the commanding General, and the march
ing of the army across the Potomac and nigh
tramp of some fifteen miles, through rain ant
: mud, and like counter march back again II
the point of departure, showing hitch in tn
"plans" somewhere, we find him on his way t,
make name" in the canpaign Of the PENN
sula. With an army of one hundred and sixty
thousand men, as shown by official records, ht
sat down before Yorktown, and without max
ing any demonstration against the place, be
gan to enEreneh and fort9y. 1t has been as
serted by rebel officers, who were at Yorktown
Tat the time, and afterwarls bacaue rEisoners
/. and remains not disproyed. that on McCiellans
arrival before the place, it was but imperfectly
fortified and contained not to exceed ten thou
sand men, and as to the number of troops, his
is confirmed by William Henry Hurlbut, the
distinguished and reliable correspondent oi
Judge Parker, who was in Richmond at the
time, and who states the number at seven
thousand. Mcclellan seemed to have an idea
that by capturing Yorktown, he weuld link his
name inseparably with that Of Washington,
who before him captured the town and the
troops within it. But McCIelan's exploit
was something like the play Of Hamlet with
! Hamlet left out. After spending time enough,
if properly employed, to have been before the
delences of Richmcnd, be took the town, that
is, marched in, after the enemy had, almost I'M
harmed. marched out.
On his progress from Yorktown, he wrote
that whining letter to the Secretary of War,
asking for reinfoFcements, in which he stated
that the enemy in his front greatly out num-
Der me but lcW do fhe best cGn." An as
serlion, as to the numbers of the enemy, now
known to be utterly false, and fully believed
10 be so at the time.
The sickeniug aud disgusting spectacle now
presents ITSELF of the setting down of thai
magnificent army, in the malarious swamps OF
the Chiekahominy, there 10 dig and eutrench,
without an opposing entTenchment in view
McClellan's fondness for the spade even excited
the ridcnle Of the Richmond Editors, who
said The spade was his favorite weapon, and
that although he might eventually dig into
| Richmond, he had so judiciously chosen his
1 position he would be twenty years in doing it.
In the battles on the Chckahominy cur troops
engaged displayed valor unsurpassed, but ii
is remarkable fact, that not one of them was
planned by Mcclellan nor even anticipated by
him, nor was he present to participate in them.
and SO totally ignorant he in regard to
lone of them that when he telegrap!led. profess
ing TO have participated in it, he actually mis-
took the wing Of the army engaged. Herein
occurred that celebrated dispatch containing
| RE peculiar u .t'letlanisu Il sent two brig
! ades," (which vas pot true} sud "0ar troGps
! made sc.ie sf>lendt Dayoaet enaf5 es- he TX
cqIsior Brigade 4nadc two )" aud which occa-
stoned so much trouble 10 his special organs
10 change the "I' to "we" and otherwise to
present ii in a dignifed shape, that he was
! persuaded to surrender his correspondence to
Williams, man of sense and abilities, and
| from that time it became creditable in point
OF style. His advocates and hired organs
have tried hard 10 make cut that in some Of
ihe actions he did lead his troops, but the only
| instance wherein such leading il established by
any thing Ike proof, was in the iinal retreat,
wherein he certainly took the lead and arrived
on the banks of the James River Sir miles an
GdUance cf The Dhoie army, and when, in his
trepidation, lie Immediately sent his Princely
Aids aboard of a steamer, telling them to seek
safety in flight, as he expected the whole army
would be captured
Numerous letters are known to exist, and
which are believed to be now in the War De-
partment, written by officers when in the army
on the Peninsula, strongly questioning the
| legally OF Mcclellan. These suspicious Of
! disloyalty, emanating from a source emitting
them to great degree of credit, are strength
ened ard sustained by many facts and crcum-
stances, some of which will now be given =
In this connection, two letters under his own
hand, lately made public, are worthy of the
greatest consideration. One is his remarkable
letter to Gen. Haleck, requesting that the
army may remain on the james River, written
in the best style Of Williams, in which a d.
| gressiOn is made from the main subject, 10 a
taudafiOn Of his Oicn lOuaHy and aevotion 10
the interest and calsse OF The Union. In ethics
and in the legal obstruction of evidence, when
innocence of a crime is asserted, before an ac-
cusatiOn is made. the presumption of guilt is
Inevitably raised. Honesty is not its own
trumpeter, but guilt blows clarion to avert
suspicion. The other letter alluded to is the
ore lately read upon the trial Of Gen. Fitz
j Ohm Porter before court-marta, which is
still more remarkable than the one just cited.
| A great battle was imminent if not actually
pending, in which Porter with his Division was
detailed to aid Pope. At such moment the
fidelity and patriotism of no officer. especially
Of one in the important position Of Porter,
was not to be questioned or doubted, unless his
dntecedents trefe suspicious. yet it is passing
strange, that Just at this moment Mcclellan
FIwrites this letter advising Porter to obey
orders and aid Pope In connection with this
look at the reply Of Porter in which he prom.
ises TO render such aid, and as evidence Of the
sincerity of his intentions and of his loyalty
appeals to the blood split and sacrifices made
for his Country, in manner even surprising
the. asseverations Of Mcclellan in his letter
lrom the james River, and yet the evidence is
overwhelming that Porter was then designing
to withhold his forces from Pope. and which
he did persistenlly to the end, leading, as is
amply proved, to the defeat of our arms and
the disastrous result OF that great battle. Is
it inconsistent with the facts 10 believe that
this correspondence was devised to cover the
real designs Of TIE writers and 10 make capital
for euch7 An antecedent fact has an impor-
taut bearing upon this construction. When
i Pope was placed in command at Washington,
he issued an address to the army, in which he
indirectly criticised McClellau's system, wher-
in he said in effect, his "base of operations
should be with the army in the field, and his
'breastworks," the valor and bravery Of his
troops. This stung Mcclellan, Porter and
other believers in that system, and it is fully
believed in well informed quarters, that a con
spirdcy was formed and has existed ever since
the issuing of that address, FOR Pope's humiiia-
tion and overthrow. In all this we are forcibly
regaindtd of the Numerous cases to be found in