Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-10-06

| an authority other than that of Gen, Mcclellan.
whether by the President directly or indirectly
through the Secretary of War it is needless to in
qulre, since all acts Of an executive character are,
IN contemplation of law and of constitutional re-
sponsbliy, the acts of the President of the United
States.
we need not pause to demonstrate that the re-
gulation by which the Administration constituted
the two separate and Independent departments Of
the Rappahannock and of the Shenandoah Valley
proved 10 be most unfortunate and ill-advised
Whether from the inherent infecity of such an
arrangement, or from the little wisdom with which
these two departments were directed from Wash.
ington, certain it is that nothing but failure and
disaster attended the operations of our armies ia
both these military districts
Though Gen. Mcdowell was thus removed from
the command of Gen. Mcclellan, an order was sent
from Washington directing Gen. Mcclellan to ex-
tend his right wing to the north Of Richmond until
Mcdowell could effect junction with it via Ere
dericksburg, under direction Of the President
The order to this effect, under date Of Nav 18
1861, was follows:
Gen Mcdowell is ordered keeping himself slways in
70 save te Captal from oil possible attack, to
operato as 10 put his lett wing in communication with
your gnt Wng and instructed to Cooperate 40 as
10 establish TINS as soon as poa ba bv ar
enane your rght wing to the north of Richmond 1t is
lhat THIS communication be safely established
either north or south of Pamunkey river In anV
you WIN Do able to prevent the main body of the enemys
torees ron eaVng Richmond and falling overwhelming
.oice upon Gen Mcdowell He will move with between
thirty hve and forty thousand men,"
In order to swell the column of Gen. Mellow
ell the column OF Gen. Banks in the valley Of the
onenandoah was reduced to mere handful, and
an opportunity was thus created for that incursiou
OF jackson which broke. up all the military Q M
blnations formed by the Administration for the rein
f'rcement OF Gen. Mcclellan, while the Shenandoah
Valley thereupon became the theatre on which .
medley OF commands, all moving under orders from
Z" sshington at cross lines and equally cross pur-
poses, succeeded in nothing except to convince the
Administration that its military subdivisions had
proved exceedingly unfortunate And, as if to
make expiatlon for the mistake, the three depart.
ments OF Gen. Fremont of Gen. Banks. and of
ten Mcdowell were suddenly, by order of the
PRESIDENT, merged into one The unity of ccm-
mand which had been disturbed by the order of
April 4th was thus partially restored by the order
which announced, on the 26h Of June, the cousoIi-
danon OF the armies Of Gems Fremont. Bank.
and Mcdowell into single army under command
OF Major Gen. Pope
but IN the mean time, BY the opportunity offer
ea Tor Jacksons foray and by the panic which "a
t'ray created Unofficial quarters. all thought of re-
lnforclng Gen. Mcclellan had been postponed f,r
the capture of the rebol force which had introduced
tins disturbing element into the military calcuIa-
mons OF the Administration Gen. Mcdowell was
turned from his proposed march in the direction
OF hlchmond to join in the !" chase" of jackson,
who succeeded not only in eluding his pursuers,
out who was SO inefiriently followed by those
: pursuers" that while entrenchmeuts were being
thrown up against HIM in the valley of the She
nandoah nc hurled his entire force against the
column Of Gen. Mcclellan at Ricbmona. already
sailed to cope with an enemy believed to be large
y superior In numbers before Gen Lee had re-
'eved this sudden accession.
For this failure of the campaign our military
authorities in Washington were directly responsi
Die No blame in the premises was imputed BY
hem to Gen. Mcclellan, and the President, equally
teslrous to exonerate himself from censure. as
,ribed the untoward result to "the nature Of the
case"
Reviewing the whole campaign in its number of
July Z, 1862, the editor of the New York Times,
with all the facts then before him, wrote as fol-
lows. The article is interesting because it was
published at time when that journal had no par
tisan purpose to subserye, as it now has, by the
defamation Of Gen. Mcclellan. It then said:
1t very easy, that the affair is over to percer.
the Of McCeans recent reverse At the last o.
men when least expected, and equally to the surpr,e
we have no doubt, of President Lincoln Secretary Stan
ton, and Gen. Mcclellan himself StonewaIl jackson
rushed from the Valley Of the Shenandoah attacked with
600 men our right wing Of 20 co., forced 1t back and
got IN rear Of our whole army, sohoR oaenng the rebel
force masscd IN front Of BY single man No General
on earth could make head against such coup de eu,rre
II Mcclellan had stood bis ground and fought in such
position nothing in the world could have prevented the
utter annihaton OF the Army Of the Potomac That he
saved the army against such odds and under such crcum
stances and that be has been able to place il upop nav
base OF operations from which be may renew his attack
upon the rebel capital with increased chances Of success
scrds such proof Of consummste generalsp as m firing
soldiers shoD.
Gen Mcclellan was not taken by surprise in an a..
tack on bis right wing He foresaw it, and bad prepared