Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-04-08
The Mcclellan Controversy Revived


The Congressional war committee is at
Washington publishing a synopsis of its,
extensive report, which it could not COM
plete in time for presentationlto Congress-,
and which is to be furnished to newspapers
in installments. Its advent has been her
aided in daily dispatches for the past three
weeks, but public interest is by no means
aroused to any excited pitch. In fact Gen.
Mcclellan is considered shelved for the.
war, along with Gen. Fremont, and others
of less note, and the people are more in
terested about what the live generals are
doing or are expected to, do than about
what the dead ones failed to accomplish.
But we suppose the controversy is to be
kept up for some time yet, and the report
of the war committee should at least be of
a character to be relied upon for far
statement of the evidence
On the part of Gen. Mcclellan, OF his
friends, the committees report has been
anticipated by the publicatiou at this late
day of the brief preliminary report Of his
campaign in Maryland, after Pope's defeat.
The chief subject of interest in it. is his
statement as to the surrender at Harper's
Ferry, and the disastrous effect of that
event upon his operations in Maryland:
Before left Washington, and while it
was yet time, recommended to the prop
er authorities that the garrison atsHarper's
Ferry should be Withdrawn via Hagers-
town, to aid in covering the Cumberland
Valley, or the taking up of the pontoon
bridge and obstructing the railroad bridge,
it should fall back to Maryland flights,
and there hold its own to the last. In this
position it could have maintained itself for
weeks. 1t was. not deemed proper TO
adopt either Of these suggestions and
when the subject was left to nv discretion
it was too late to do anything except to re-
lieve the garrison directed artillery to
be frequently fired by our advanced guard
as signal to the garrison that relief was
at hand. This was done, and learn that
our firing was distinctly heard at Harper's
Ferry, ana that they were thus made aware
that We were approaching rapidly. 1t was
confidently expected that this place could
hold out until we had carried the noun
tains, and were in position to make a
detachment for its relief. The easy and
disgraceful surrender of Harper's Ferry
deprived my operations of results which
would have formed brilliant sequel TO the
substantial and gratifying success. already
related.
"Had the garrison held out "a hours
longer, should, in all probability, have
captured that part of the enemy's force en-
gagged in the attack on Maryland Hights !:
while the whole garrisonEsome 10000
strong-conld have been drawn to rein
force me on the day of the decisive battle.
Certainly, on the morning of the 18th, /
would thus have been in a position to have
circumstances, had the besieging force on.
the Virginia side ut Harper'a Ferry not been
withdraw, would have had So 900 or
10000 less men to encounter at .Antictam,
and must have destroyed or captured ali
opposed to me. AS it was, 1 had to en-
gage au army fresh from recent and, to
them, great victory, and to reap the dis
advantages of their being freshly and plen-
tifully supplied with ammunition and SUP
plies