Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-03-07
From the New York Journal Of Commerce.
Pare nj KHf<f0rV

historian will dwell with more eloqnence. than
that which relates TO the condition Of the United
States its army and its capitol the last day Of
August. 1862 The report of General Di Clean
Tor the first time collects and makes clear
the various incidents which are to fil this i'm
portaEt page in national record. We regret
that the Congressional edition. the. Rebellion
Record edition, and other cheap editions of the
Report, are incomplete and inaccurate, omitting
entirely some portions which present the most
interesting and important view of the relations of
General Mcclellan to the Cabinet, the army and
the country. The edition published under Gen.
McClellan's authority is accurate. The omission
was doubtless uniutentonal, some pages of copy
having fallen from a compositor's desk. or been
mislaid. in the Government printing Office and
the re-printers who hare followed that edition
have produced imperfect copies.
Gen. Mcclellan not at that time removed
from the command of the army, but the army
was removed from his commsnd bv an ingenious
device of the War Department. He treated
with contemptnols Indifference by Gen. HalIeck
When ordered to abandon the Peninsula he was
so anxious for an interview with Gen. Halleck,
and free consultation, that he proceeded from
Harrison's Bar to the nearest telegraph. station,
and there finding that the wires we're broker
der water he crossed Chesapeake Bay, arriving
at Cherry Stone Inlet, the east shore, about
midnight. He Immediately telegraphedt to Wash
ington, informing Gen. Halleck that he had come
all this distance to consult with him. and request
ed him to come To the War Department end of
the wire. Gen Halleck came, and sent a brief
and somewhat i'll humored reply While Gen.
Mcclellan was decyphering this reply. (it was in
their private cipher,) the operator informed him
that Gen. Haleck had left the Washington office
without so much saying good night. and that
further telegraphing was uselessl Gen. McClel
Ian returned to his army, brought il away from
the scene of its noble exploits stood himself last
man of all, on the desere ed ground, and left the
Peninsula with the conviction that a great error
was in progress at Washington At Fort Monroe
he wrote dispatch to Gen. Haleck, mournfully
eloquent speaking of the services of his brave
army. and begging Halleck to recognize them.
He said:
please say kind word to my army, that
can report to them in general orders in regard to
their conduct at Yorktown, Williamsburg. West
Point, Hanover Court House. and on the Chick
ahominy, we'll as in regard to the seven days
snd the recent retreat No one has ever said
anything to cheer them, but myself Say no.
thing about me. Merely give my men and off
GERS credit for what they have done. 1t will do
you much good and will strengthen you much
with them if you issue a handsome order them
in regard to what they have accomplished.
They deserve IT,"
Verify they did deserve it. They we're an
army of heroes brought home from fields of as
gallant fighting as the world ever saw But
there was reply to the request OF their General.
They received no kind word. no cheer, no tina ks.
They we're hurried home, TO be hurled into the
jaws of death under a commander selected to
displace the general who had hitherto shared
their fortunes Mcclellan came to Alexandria.
What was his position and relation to the armyi
He himself did not know. The process OF depriv-
ing him of his command going forward.
Pope's Army of Virginia absorbed the Army Of
Al n
disappears from history. Ii had no existence.
Mcclellan was left at Alexandra, still the com
mandng general OF the Army of the Potomac.
but there is eloquence which every heart
must feel in his simple narrative of what remained
TO him Of hs.on magnificent command. Less
than hundred men, many of these invalidS
and wounded men, were the sole representatives
of the Army of the Potomac So grand is the
contrast which this narrative affords between the
days which preceded and those which followed
the last of August, that it may by some be sus-
pected as intentional that the narrative is omitted
from the incomplete editions of the Report But
prefer regard it : accidental, especially in
view of other and numerous errors which occur
in the same editions
The secret history-of political mancuvering at
Washington, at this Time, would il made public,
explain the whole responsibility for the disastrous
campaign of Pope. The blood of our thousands
directly on the inuicues of Washington polti
clans of the radical party. who only desired to
remove Mcclellan from the public view. because
they feared that the splendor OF his genius, the
devotion of his army, the nobleness OF his char
ter, might bring him before the people as a fit
man to lead the whole nation through war to
peace and union under the Constitution. For
this, they intrigued, and, they have wasted thou
sands Oh thousands Of young lives poured out on
haf 6al4 And Of
history may be recovered from a close examna-
tion of the dispatches and orders issued at Wash
ington between the 29th August and the ID Sep
tember, 1862 Five days-brief time, but filed
with great events The politicians had succeed
ed Mcclellan was debased and disgraced. He
asks Halleck for specific orders what he is
to do at Alexandra. Halleck replies. giving gen
eral orders and finding fault Ammunition,
and particularly for artillery, must be immediate
ly sent forward TO Centreville, for General Pope.
Ii must be done with all possible dispatch" )" tele-
graphs Halleck at I as o'clock on the 30th.
Mcclellan replies at 2:l0 Il know nothing of
the caliber of Pope's artillery. All can do is
to direct nv ordnance officer to load all wagons
sent him" Halleck finds fault that Franklin
not sooner sent forward. Mcclellan replies
that Franklin had no transportation and finally
marched without wagons and of course without
ann aniton " subsistence
Then Mcclellan sends dispatch, which will
be memorable in nll future times:
II cannot express To you the pain and mortf-
cation have experienced to day in listening to
the distant sound of the firing Of my men AS
can be Of no further use here. respectfully ask
that, II there is probability of the conflict being
renewed Tomorrow. | may be permitted to go to
the scene of battle with my staff, merely to be
with my own men, If nothing more; they will
fight none the worse for my being with them. II
IL is not deemed best TO intrust me with the com
mand even Of my own army, / simply ask to bt
permitted share their fate on the field OF battle
Please reply to this TO night -
No sleep that long night in the little camp al
Alexandra Every mumeut they expected the
answer permitting them To share the fate of the
army-a fate which all the wisest soldiers were
looking TO with the most solemn apprehensons
But no answer came Not even the common
courtesy of reply was given. ill the next day
came HaIleck's cold dispatch:
% cannot answer without seeing the President
Gen Pope is in command, by his orders. of thu
department" w -.
IL was too much trouble for any one 10 Gen
HaIleck's Office to send TO the President the nigh
before, or even that morning, and say: 1.-THE
fate of the nation hangs in the balance; McCiel-
Ian asks leave 70 go to the field as volunteer
may he GOT"
But the insults were not yet ended. The sam,
day, the 3lss of August, Gen. Halleck telegraph
| Mcclellan: Sd - ~
GAS many as possible of the pew regiment
| should be prepared to take the field. Perhap
some more should be sent to the vicinity of ChaiI
| Bridge"
Mcclellan replies that il is General Casey
| province TO attend to the new regiments, and Gen
| Barnard's TO order others to Chain Bridge. "B
! the War Department order | have no right Il
give them orders" Here was one of those yer,