The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-04-11

sue ioEss VI soo Ei8ut oank OF the Potomac
should be fully garrisoned tbose on the Left
bank occupied, and covering force of Ok 900
men, The other General fSumner1 dee% sI
AZ, coo men In all sufficient
= Notwithstanding this order of the Pre,;de,.
and the decision Of the council, when Gena,.,
Mcclellan himself left Alexandra for the nen,nA
sula, he sent back ORDERS ,ciOout conference ,,;b
the commanders of corps, for all Ms eorDs Of u.
army of The Potomac, but that of Gen. ,Baai. =.
embark at once for the Psnins,da Just prev;on.
to leaving, General Mcclellan addressed ths
following communication to the Adiutapt.(,sn.
eral of the Army:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF TIE Porox.c,
"STEAAKR COMMODORE, April 2, 1862
GENIAL: have to request that you will
lay the following Recommendation before The
Honorable Secretary of War:
"The approximate numbers and posit;ons lof.
near and in rear Of Army Of the Potomac arc
about as follows:
"Gen. Dix has, after guarding the railroad,
under bis charge, sufficient troops to give hin,
5000 for the defense of Baltimore, and gSs
available for the Eastern Shore, Annapolis. Sc,
Fort Delaware is very well garrisoned by about
400 men. ~ * "'ou'
The garrison of the forts around wasbno
ton amount to 10000 men; other dispos,bIe
troops, with General Wadsworth, being about
IA 400 men. o.
"The troops employed in guarding the rail.
ways In Maryland amount to some {, 1859 men
Those lt.ls designed to relieve. being old regi-
ments, BY dismounted cavalry, and to send them
forward to Manassas. .g gsss ~ = -
Seen. Abercombie occupies Warrentop with
force which, including Col. ,Geary at Whit
Plains, and the cavalrysto be at his dsposal
will amountto some 1880 men, with IL pieces
of artillery s. -,f 80.
II nave the honor to request that all tina
troops organized for service in Pennsylvania
and New York, and in many of the Eastern
States, may be ordered to Washington. Ilearn
from Gov. Curtin that there are some 8. 500 men
now ready in Pennsylvania. This force should
be glad to have sent at once to Manassas. Four
thousand men from Gen. Wadsworth desire to
be ordered to Manassas. These troops. with
the railroad guards above alluded to, make up
force, under Gen. Abercombie, to something like
1859. sfst, "a. ,r,-,.,... 100
j. cit is my desire to push Gen Benker,s diyis-
ion from Warrenton upon Strasburg He
should remain at Strasburg, too, to allow mat.
ters TO assume definite form in that region,
before proceeding to his ultimate destination.
THE troops in the valley of the Shenandoah
will thus be-, including Blenker's division 1O,Oas
strong, with "a pieces of artillery. Banks's
fifth corps, which embraces Gen. Shields's,
10, 63T strong, with Al gnns; some 1862 dispos.
able cavalry, and the railroad guards, about
2,lO0 men, amount to about So 157 men.
ut is designed to relieve Gen. Hooker by
some regiment, say $50 men, leaving, with 500
cavalry, 1850 men on the Lower Potomac,
ITO recapitulate ..
''At Warrenton there is 20 be. 1850 men,
"a AT Manassas there is to be. .l0S59 men,
! Valley of the Shenandoah So, 467 men,
"On the Lower Potomac. go. i, $50 men.
,,,,, IN an. :. "a ,456 men.
There will thus be left for the garrison and
the front of Washington, Under Gen. Wads.
worth, $4,000 mep, exclusive of the batteries
under instruction. . .. p ..-.
THE troops organizing, or ready for service
IN New Iork, learn will probably number more
than 4 900 These should be assembled at Wash.
lngton, subject to disposition where mos. needed,
| am, very respectfully, your obedient servant
.sa GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN,
y aeasgs Major GenI Commanding
Brig. Gen. Thomas, Adj't GEM q. S. Army.n
This statement, to use the expression of one
ot the Witnesses, was "very indefinite" Genr
" adsworth, who had been ordered to take charge
of the defenses of Washington, upon learning
The disposition of troops proposed by General
Mcclellan, and feeling the great Importance of
the trust committed to his charge, and the total
nadequacy of the means provided him for that
purpose, addressed to the Secretary of War the
following communication
20 "HEADo'Rs MILITARY DIsr OF WAsHISGroN)
sa ashington, d. c., April 2, 1862. (
"a SIR: have the honor to submit the following
condensed statements of the forces left under
my command for the defenses of Washington:
Auiantry'.' 1885
tArthtery OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 1924
cavalry (six companies only mounted) S4S
3 lotdA :. .2O,477
g Deduct sick and in arrest and confpe.
aE1menI. Observation-Disclosures 1855
& Total present for duty. DETERMINATION
d have no mounted light artillery under my
~
Several companies Of the reserve artillery of
The Army of the Potomac are still here, but not
under my command or fit for service $3.50
From this force I am ordered By General Nc
Clailan to detail two regiments (good ones) to
DIN Richardson's division (Sumner's corps) asst
passes through Alexandria; one regiment to re-
place the S7th New York Volunteers in Heint-
zelman's old division; one regiment to relieve
regiment OF Hookers division at Budd's ferry
am further ordered this morning, by tele-
graph, to send 4, 900 men to relieve Cen Sumner
" Manassas aud Warrenton, that be may embark
forthwith. ra
"ln regard to the character aud efficiency Of
me troops under my command, have to state
that nearly all the force is new and imperfectly
disciplined; that several of the regiments sre in
very disorganized condition from various eau
ses, which it is not necessary to state here; sew.
eral regiments having been relieved from brig.
AIDES, which have gone into the field, iu conse,
QueDce of their unftness for service-the best
regiments remaining having been selected to
take their place. IA 60,
1.-TWO heavy artillery regiments and one in
fantry regiment, which had been drilled for
some months in artillery service, have been
withdrawn from the forts on the south side Of
he Potomac, and have only been able TO fill
their places with new infantry regiments, entire.
y unacquainted with the duties Of tina. arm, and
'f little or no value in their present position.
II am not informed "a IN thu ,>o,;t;o, ,rb;cb