The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-04-15
RAvENNA, O., -WEDNEs DAY, APRIL l5 1863.

ment, before Malvern was fought, nor could
that splendid victory won by his exhausted
| troops restore his courage. 1t was a sad re-
! turn for the measureless generosity with
which that army trusted its commander, and
in the face of all defeats and failures so long
refused to doubt his capacity.
| The retreat from Malvern to Harrison's
! Bar was very preepitate, and the troops on
| their arrival were haddled together in confu-
sion--the whole army within space of about
three miles. along the river. And the Com
mittee say: No orders acere giUea the first
day 70, occupying the nights ,0llich commanded
the position nor aoere the troops so placed as to
be able to resist a'aatack IN force By the enemy
and nothing 6ut heavy ram, t1]tich prevented
the enemy from bringing up their artillery, Sav
ed the army from deStructioH.'' We regret to
| believe that SO shameful statement is true,
but it only confirms what we long since knew
from other sources, that Gen Mcclellan on /
his arrival at Harrson's Bar believed himself
incapable of further resistance and was fully
prepared TO surrender the whole Army of the
Potomac to the rebels if it had been again at
| tackled That army numbered, according to
Gen. McClellan's own returns on the goth
July, 1884 men, Of whom IO1, ,601 We're
then present for duty.
Sdch was the end of the Peninsula cam
paign. The four opportunities which the |
valor of his army had offered to the imbecli-
ty of its General had been utterly lost, and
blood and treasure and time spent to 10 pur-
pose. 80 5a a
From that time to the 18th of August,
when the position was finally abandoned, no
movement of any kind was attempted. Gen. |
Mcclellan applied for $4,000 reinforcements
which did not exist and could not be given
him, and Gen. Halleck finally withdrew the
whole army to operate with Gen. Pope. a.
The remainder of the report of the Com
mittee is devoted to subjects which have pre-
viouSly been discussed in these columns, ex-
cepting the events which occurred after the |
appointment of General Burnside We have
space only TO remark in passing that the evil
dence presented by the Committee entirely
sustains the charge previously brought against !
Gen. Mcclellan, that ne did not heartily en-
deavor to relieve Gen. Pope when he and his
army and the Republic We're imminently i'm
Perlled. And it appears as to Antietam, in
addition to and in confirmation of the facts
heretofore known, that Gen. Mcclellan had at
least 10000 fresh troops with which'to renew
the attack next morning, and that Burnside
and Sumner both advised it. Gen. Sumner
has heretofore been represented as coinci,ling
with Gen. McClellan's decision. It is real
pleasure to relieve the memory of the gallant
and loyal veteran from that aspersion.
Gen. Burnside appears in this report in a
new light. That he was brave, earnest, de-
votedly loyal soldier who had everywhere
done his utmost for the cause in which he
drew his sword, the whole country gratefully
knew. We believe that henceforth his mil
itary capacity, alsb, will be thoroughly respect
ed, and at all events he will receive, as he
deserves, the regre.ful sympathy ofthe pub
lie i'll the singular and apparently wholly un-
deserved misfortunes of his career. He gen
erously took on himself the sole responsible
ty for the disaster at Fredericksburg. 1t Will
henceforth rest mainly on the shoulders of
Major-Gen. Franklin. The testimony is ex-
plicit that it was his disobedience of orders
which defeated plan equally admirable for
the courage and the strategetic merits of its
conception If he had attacked with his
available force on the left, where the main
attack was meant by Burnside to be made, the
day would have been won. The gallant ef-
fort of Gen. Meade was left wholly unsup-
ported, except by Gen. Gibbon, who was soon
wounded, while Gen. Birney, whose division
of 1000 men was Immediately in rear of
Meade. contented himself with checking the
enemy's pursuit where Meade had been re-
pulsed, instead of promptly advancing to his
support. 1t seems to have been Seven Pines
| over again on his part. sa s.a.s
The history of Gen. Burnside's efforts after
Fredericksburg is dramatic in its interest but
is even more painful than interesting. I'm
daunted by his defeat, the heroic General
conceived new plan, embracing a magnifi-
cent cavalry raid which would have electrified
the country by its success, and to the success
of which nothing was wanting but opportuni-
ty. But here occurs the insubordinate inter-
! been made. Gen. John Cochrane and Gen.
Newton with the knowledge of Gen. Frank
lin and Gen. w F. Smith, went to Washing
ton with the admitted purpose to endeavor to
impair the confidence of the President in their
commanding General. The President listen
ed to them, and was SO far Influenced by their
assertions-though from the evidence of these
Generals it is difficult to make out how much
| they are willing to confess to having Said
that he telegraphed Burnside to make no
movement without consultation with him.
The cavalry expedition was at that time
under way, but was promptly halted, aud
Gen. Burnside went to Washington The
| President told him what he had heard. The
! General demanded the names of his accusers.
| They were refused him. He then declared
that no person knew what his plan was; ex-
| planned it to the President, and sought per-
mission to proceed. The President hcsitated;
so did Gen. Halleck, and Gen. Burnside re-
turned to his camp.
Meantime, these plans, which had been
communicated only to the President, to Gen.
sHal.eck, to the Secretary of War, and TO
| some of Gen. Burnside's staff who had left
the camp, became known to the Rebels in
| Washington, and the plan was therefore nee
essarily abandoned E"
Gen. Burnside then devised still another
plan and undertook to execute ii on. his own
responsibility, but the storm which followed
prevented. Deeming it his duty to enforce
military subordination in his own army, by a
general order he dismissed some officers from
the service, subject to the approval of the
President. relieved others from duty, and sem
fenced several deserters to death. The order
was laid before the President, soho acknol0lelg-
ed that Gen. Burnside toas right, but declined
to approve the order. Gen. Burnside there
upon for the second time rendered his resig-
nation, but the President declined it, and
shortly after informed him that he had con
cluded to relieve him from duty and appoint
Gen. Hooker to the command of the Army
of the Potomac. Is Against Gen. Burnside's
remonstranoe, the order dispossessing him of
his command affirmed that it was done at
his request, but the President insisted that
the good of the service required it, and Gen.
Burnside yielded the point.
t5tt il. -------- .5.
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