New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-01-17
He Always Wanted the Battle Fought At
or Near Manassas
He URGES THAT BLOW BE STRUCK FORTHWITH.
He Characterizes the Delay as Repeat
ing Manassas.
The Anxiety Of an Honest and True
hearted President.

WASHINGTON Friday. Jan. l6 1863
In the Mcdowell Court Of Inquiry to-day Gen.
Ricketts, was examined, testifying that the road by
which he was ordered TO march by Gen. Mcdowell
on the morning of the 2sth Of August was so OBJ
structed by wagons in his front IS greatly TO impede
the progress of his command.
Major-GeD. Hitchcock was next called. He testi-
fed at length relative to the force left for the pro-
lection Of Washington when Gen. McClelan's army
started for the Peninsula In the course OF his tes
timony the following letter from the President was
laid before the Court:
WASHINGTON. April Q, 1852.
To Maj. Gen. MCCLELLAN: My Dear Sr-Your
dispatches, complaining that You are not properly
sustained, while they do not offend me. pain ME very
much. BleDkers Division was Withdrawn before
you left here. and You know the pressure under
which did 1t, and, as thought, acquiesced in it,
certainly not without reluctance. After you left
ascertsined that lees than 30 900 unorganxed men,
without field battery were all you designed should
be left for the defence Of Washington and Manassas
Junction, and part Of this even was to 60 to Gen.
Hooker's old position. Gen. Banks's corps, once
designed for Manassas Junction, was divided and
tied up on the line Of Winchester and Strasburg,
and could not leave that position without again ex.
posing the Upper Potomac and the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad.
This presented or would present, when Mcdowell
and Sumner should be gone, great temptation for
the enemy TO turn back from tie Rappabannock and
sack Washington. My explicit directions that
Washington, sustained by the judgment of all
the commanders Of corps, should be left secure,
had been entirely neglected. II was precisely
this that drove me to detan Mcdowell. l do
not forget that / was satisfied with your ar.
rangement to leave Banks ut Manassas Junction.
But when that arrangement was broken up, and
nothing was substituted for 1t, Of course l was
not satisfied. Twas constrained to substitute some
thing for il myself And now allow mo to ask You.
do you really think | could permit the line from
Richmond via Manassas Junction to ths city to be
entirely open, except what resistance could be pre-
sented by less than 90 600 unorganized loops This
il question which the country will not allow me TO
evade.
There il curious mystery about the number of
troops now with you. teiegrsphed you on the 9th,
say ing that you had over 1000 with you. had
just obtained from the Secretary of War statement
taken us lie said, from your own returns, making
l0S, 600 then with you and en route TO you. You
now cay you will lave but 5000 when all eli route
to you shall have reached You. How can this dis
crepancy Of $1,000 be accounted for As to Gen.
Wools command, l understand that 1t is doing pre-.
cisely what like number OF your own would have
to do if that command was away. l suppose the
whole force which has gone forward TO you is with
you by this time; aud if 3d. think it is the precise
time for you to strike blow.
BY delay, the enemy will readily gain on yoai
that is, he will gain faster by Qualifications and re-
Endorsements than you can by re.enforcemenis alone
And once more let me tell you, 1t is IN
dispensable to you that you strike blow.
| am powerless to help This you will do
NE the Justice TO remember, / was always opposed
10 going down the Bay in search OF field, instead
of fighting at or near Manassas, as only shifting and
not eurmountiug difitultyi that we would find the
same enemy and the same or equal intrenchments at
either place. The country will not fail to note-s
noting now-that the present hesitation to move
upon an intreneLed enemy is but the story Of Ma.
nassas repeated.
beg leave to assure you that have never written
or spoken to you in greater kindness of feeling than
now nor with fuller purpose TO sustain you so far
as in my most anxious Judgment consistently can.
But you must act.
Yours. very truly, A. LINCOLN.