The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1863-04-18
THE eeNDucT OF tine WAR

TINE eeNpucT OF Tine WAR
R.p.rs q .ns Cons.....en.. con.issss
| on the OperaslOns OF the Army
9a or the Potomac.
CAUSES OF ITs INACTION AND ILL
| SUCCESS dsW ~ hsg
THECAMPAIGN IN MARYLAND.
Very soon after Gen. Pope and his army
fell back to Washington the Rebel army
mediately made by the authorities in WASH
ington to follow them.
| In relation to the command of the army
in Maryland your committee will quote
from the testimony of Gen. Mcclellan and
Gen. Halleck. The testimony Of Gen. Nc
Clellan is as follows: - 1a issa
"Question. What position did you oc-
cupy after your arrival at Alexandria, and
you had forwarded the troops which had
been under your command to the assistance
of Gen. Pope? 20 ~ 5H-
"Answer. was for some little time
one or two days, two or three days, per-
haps-without any position; merely at my
camp, without any command. On Mon
day, the LIST OF September, received YER
bal instructions from Gen. Halleck to take
command of the defenses of Washington -
| was however, expressly prohibited from,
in any way, assuming any control over the
troops under Gen. Pope. think it was on
the next day after that was instructed
verbally by the President and Gen. Hal
leck to 60 out and meet the army which was
| coming in, and to assume command OF It
whenit approached the position which
| considered it ought to occupy for defensive
purposes, and to post it properly.
| M'CLELLAN FORGETs.F
"Question. How long did you remain in
command Of the defenses of Washington,
and what orders did you next receive, and
| from whom? sE =! .i.la.i,at =.
"Answer. I do not think that order, as
signing the defenses of Washington, was
ever rescinded, or any other one issued In
| its place. had other verbal communities
| tions with Gen. Halleck before started on
| the Antietam campaign. And it Nas never
definitely decided up to the time that left
as to whittier was to 60 or not. asked
Halleck whether I was to command the
troops in the field, and he said it had not
been determined. And do not think that
it ever was. Think that tods one of those
things that gre,o into shape itself. When the
time came I went out"
The following is the testimony of Gen.
Halleck upon that point:
"Question. By whose orders was Gen.
Mcclellan placed in command of the army
that left Washington to operate in Mary
land: and were these orders verbal or in
writing? ." 't
"Answer. As I stated the other day, the
order Wds giUen Uerbdlly to Gen. Mcclellan
by the President, at Gen. McCyetton's house
about 9 O'Clock in the morning, preU1ous
to Gen. Mcclellan leavsng the city for Rock
ViUe. - - 2s't5A ~
81 will add that Gen. Mcclellan, in vir-
tue of his being in command of the fortifi-
cations of Washington and the troops for
defense within them, was really in COM
mand of all the troops here ut that time
The question was discussed by the Presi-
dent for two or three days as to who should
take command of the troops that were to go
into the field. The decision ,ods made by
himself, announced to Gen. Mcclellan in ney
presence. I did not know what the decis-
ion was until head it thus announced
MCCLELLAN FoRGETS AGAIN. ~ ~
| In regard to the instructions given to Gen.
Mcclellan his testimony is as follows:
"Question. Did you have any interview
with the President in relation to taking
command of the troops for the Maryland
campaign, or receive any instructions from
him on that point?'' ga#
'Answer. do not think he gaze me any in
| st1'uctions after that morning, when was
told to take command ofthe army in front
of Washington. I do not think he gave me
any instructions about the Maryland cam
paign.
''After you commenced the movement,
did you receive any instructions from any
one?
"Answer. I received some kilograms,
that might be looked upon in the nature of in
st7'uctions, from Gen. Halleck and from the
President. The general tenor of Hallecks
dispatches was that I aOdS committing an err
''or IN going so far array from Washington;
that I aDas going rather too fast. He had the
impression that the main force OF the ene-
k1~or, L.
and that they had only small force in
front of me to draw me on, and then they
would come into Washington in rear. AS
late as the 18th of September, recollect
telegram of Gen. Halleck in WEIGH he pres
sed that same idea, and told me that I was
wrong in going so far away
The testimony of Gen. Halleck upon that
point is as follsws:
"Question. What instructions, if any
were given to Gen. Mcclellan in regard to
the conduct of the campaign in MARYLAND?
"Answer. The day the President gaze Gen.
Mcclellan directions to take command of
the forces in the field, we had long con-
versation in regard to the campaign in
Maryland. 1t was agreed between us that
the troops should move up the Potomac.
and, If possible, separate that portion Of Gen.
Lees army which had crossed the Potomac
from the remainder on the Virginia side.
There were no definite instructions. fur
ther than that understanding between us.
as to the general plan of the campaign.
II submit herewith copies of dispatches
to and from Gen. Mcclellan, after he left
Washington to take command of operations
in Maryland, to the time that he was re-
lieyed from command. These papers COM
prise all the dispatches sent to and received
from Gen. Mcclellan, so far as know, ex-
cept letter dated October 13, addressed to
him by the President, and which was
shown to me just as the President was
about to dispatch it to Gen. Mcclellan, and
Gen. McClellan's reply, dated October IT,"