The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1863-02-07
GEM Altehceek,s, Attack ON Cen. We
OIenl6m. - rsi

>, W AShlNHTON OITY, u. Jan. I'll.
To tie Edtorae Of aRs Daily Caroaiels: 51t
s1R:-The New York Times Of yesterday con,
tains what Was, designed to be received byl tie
public ss 4 report Of nv Testimony beforestSs b
Mcdowell court now IN session Ia this CITY. but
II 10 80 ful errors and inaccuracies Of all sorts
misplacements of whole passages. and, id Zone
material particular directly reversing my stateL
ment. that beg to request you win afford space
In your columns for an accurate publication ot
that testimony, together with the, document.
exhibited with lit which can doubtless be had
at the court room. It ought to have been pub
lished as gave it, It was the duty Of the court
to determine the questions should be called
upon to answer, and mine only to state the
truth, as sworn to do. The court askeo my opin-
ion touching the responsibilities in case of dis
Obediencea Of orders BY, General McOlellan. IL
not leaving for the security Of Washington ths
force designated by the four commanders ol
= the four ssrmy arm corps composing the Army Of the
VIn answsring this question, Ioplsced the re r.
sponsibilisy where military law and army ussee
has always placed it-with the officer Who. a,
was assumed in the question, Had disobeyed the
order-to.wit: with General Mcclellan. and moi
with the President, Who, in making good hii
original order. BY the detention Of 1 part Of Nc
Dowells corps In front Of Warrington, merely
took . necessary step to repair q, mischief com
mitted BY General Mcclellan; himself in not e.
tending to the order Of the sth Of March, whict
Was reiterated through the Secretsry Of War OF
the 18th of the same month. In the Times' re-
port of my testimony this portion Of il is avert
ed, and ! am put forward7-I am bound to sup
pose BY accident-as placing the responsibility
with the President, and not With Gen. Mcclellan
ny opinion was, and was 90 stated TO the court
that Gensral Nc Clellau, in disobeying the order
Of the President, took upon himself the ,respon
sibility for all the consequences that might fol.
low such disobedience. This is Z plain militar,
principle, which every soldier understands.
per course, under the orders of the President
was first to obey the order punctually. ani
precisely, and then to consider whether he hsi
Sufficient force left for the execution Of hi,
plan Of going to Richmond via Yorktown ani
the Peninsula II not, he should have report
led to the President before starting on bis OK.
peditiou. II yin that case, the President had
required him TO- proceed in the execution el
his plans, all the world would have placed ths
responsibility at the door of the President. .---
Gen. Mcclellan did not do this. He commsne-
ed his expedition 'sneglectiDg" the point se
'sexplicitely" ordered by the President. and
put large part Of his force in motion for Ii,
Isthmus before the President knew Of tka,
Is'nekiect, !" and thus tookiupon himself the en-
tire responsibility for sll that; followed. s,sai
Ia A brilliant success has often protected q
officer from the penalty affixed BY law-ses th,
9th Article Of Wsr-to disobedience OF orders
but it will be new feature, in military history
when failure, resulting from departure forn
plane and orders, shall be visited upon the So,
perior, whose plan Was not followed, and whose
ordSrs we're '.neglected.'E OF 550 + - 90 7.
aasla sad 8, Respectfully, &c.2a sag =. 'aa' 81
.,f,s, ;r, s.,,.f as,t E. A. HITHCOCK. Z