The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-01-30

Gross Attack upon a Gallant Officer.
In the Argus of the 26th is an article de-
nouncing the sentence of the court martial
against Gen. Porter, which says
Gen. Mcclellan is to be the next victim. A
military tool of the radical despots initiated
the court martial crusade on him on Friday
last by letter in the Washington Chronicle,
charging Gen. Mcclellan with disobedience OF
the orders of the President. Every officer OF
any Importance who does not renounce ms
own opinions, aad bow the knee to the aboli-
ton idol, is to be got rid Of A CONSUMPTION
act is to be passed by Congress to drag men in
to this abolition war; and the army, under abo
lition officers, made the tool to enforce it,
That is the radical programme.
Who is this military tool of the radical des-
pots9' 1t is no other than Gen. E. A. Hitch
cock, one of the officers that composed the
court that tried Fitz John Porter. He is
charged with commencing crurade upon
Gen. Mcclellan through the columns of the
Washington Chronicle, charging him with
disobedience of the orders of the President.
What are the facts? Simply these: Gen.
Hitchcock was introduced as witness before
there gave was enormously reported for, and
published in, the New York Times. Gen.
Hitchcock has simply set the report of his
own testimony right through the columns of
the Chronicle, and this is what the Argus
styles "a crusade" upon Mcclellan. The truth
is, officers mnst not only believe in McClelan's
infallibility, but they must consent to be mis-
% lie
or such papers as the Argns viii tall to and
abuse them.
Below we repubsh Gen. Hitchcock's letter,
and ask special attention to it. In the report
of his testimony which was published, he is
made to charge President Lincoln with the re-
sponsibity of certain blunders, when that tes-
timony, as given before the court, exonerated
the President, and placed the responsibility
where it, in his opinion, belonged, upon Gen.
Mcclellan. When the order was given for
Gen. Mcclellan to go to the Peninsula, it was
coupled with an order to leave sufficient
force in front of Washington to protect that
city, so as TO guard against rebel attacks from
whatever quarter they might come. 1t would
seem that the commanders of the four army
corps composing the army of the Potomac, had
designated the amount of force necessary for
this purpose, and Gen. Mcclellan, in going TO
the Peninsula, disre garded this order, and the
detention Of a portion of McDowelfs corps
was necessary to repair the mischief of this
disobedience, and to make good the Presidents
original order. 1t is not needfu to suppose
that Gen. McClellai-, in the act of disobedience
referred to, was prompted by dsloyal or I'M
worthy motives; the Presidents letters to
him heretofore published, indicate that he did
not SO interpret it. He thought, perhaps, that
he had left a sufficient force to protect the
capital, but if so, though his motives may have
been good he still disregarded the order of
his superior, and set up his judgment in oppo-
sition to that of all the subordinate command
ers, upon which was based the Presidents or
der. Gen. Hitchcock takes the military ground
that Gen. Mcclellan having disobeyed the
original order, becomes responsible for all the
results of that dsobedience: and we suppose
it will not be denied that, if McDowells force
had all been joined to McClellan's before Rich
mond, and, in the meantime, Jackson, or Lee,
or Stewart had made raid upon and captur-
ed and sacked the Capital, somebody would
have been responsible for it. And who would
have been responsible il not the President, if
he, in opposition to the opinion of the four
corps commanders of the army the Potomac
had suffered the defenses to have been reduced
as they would have been but for the retention
of part of McDowelrs corps before Wash
ington? But here is Gen. Hitchcock's letter.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 81.
To the Editor of the Daily Chronicle;
SIR: The New York Times of yesterday
contains what was designed to be received by
the public as a report of my testimony before
the Mcdowell court, now in session in this city,
but it is SO full of errors and inaccuracies of
all sorts, misplaeements of whole passages, and
In one material particular directly reversing
my statement, that beg to request that you
will afford space in your columns for an accu-
rate publication OF that testimony, together
with the documents exhibited with it, which
can doubtless be had at the court room.
II my testimony was worth publishing at all
1t ought TO have been published as | gave it..
1t was the duty of the court to determine the
questions should be called upon to answer,
aud mine only TO state the truth, as sworn to
do. The court askedmy opinion touching the
responsibilities in case OF disobedience of
orders by Gen. Mcclellan, in not leaving for
the security of Washington the force designa-
ted by the four commanders of the four army
corps composing the Army of the Potomac.
In answering this question, placed the
responsibility where military law and army
usage has always placed it-with the officer
who, as was assumed in the question, had dis
obeyed the order-to wit, with Gen. Mcclellan,
and not the President, who, in making good
his original order, by the detention of part
of McDowell's corps in front Of Washington,
merely took a necessary step to repair a mis-
chief committed by Gen. Mcclellan himself
in not attending TO the order of the Sth of
March, which was reiterated through the Sec
rotary of War on the 18th of the same month.
In the Times report of my testimony this
portion of it is inverted, and | am put forward
Il am bound to suppose by accident-as pla-
cling the responsibility with the President, and
not with Gen. Mcclellan. My opinion was,
and was SO stated TO the Court, that Gen. Nc
Clellan, in disobeying the orders of the Presi-
dent, took upon himself the responsibility for
all the consequences that might follow such
disobedience This is plain military princi-
pie which every soldier understands
will add here tina. Gen MeCiellan's proper
course, under the orders of the President, was
first to obey the order punctualiy and precisely,
and then to consider whether be he had suffice
lent force lett for the execution of his plan of
going to Richmond via Yorktown and the
peninsula. ii not he should have reported TO
the President before starting on his expedi-
tiOn. Ii, in that case, the President had re-
ouired him tn prneuad Il, tho axaon,ion af his