The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-04-02
APAGE OF HISTORY.
From the New York Journal of Commerce.

more eloquence, than that which relates
to the condition of the United States, it:
army and its capital, on the last day o
August, 1862. The report Of General Nc
Clellan now for the first time collects and
makes clear the various incidents which
are to fill this important page in our ma
tional record. We regret that the con.
| gressional edition, the Rebellion Record
edition, and other cheap editions Of the
report are incomplete and inaccurate
emitting entirely some portions which pre-
sent the moss interesting and important
view of the relations of General McClel-
| Ian to the cabinet. the army and the
country. The edition published under
General McClellans authority is accurate.
| The emmission was doubtless unintention.
al, some pages of copy having fallen from
a compostor's desk, or been mislaid, in
the government printing office, and the re-
printers who have followed that edition
have produced imperfect copies.
General Mcclellan Was not at that lime
| removed from command of the army, but
the army was emoved from ms commanl /
! by an ingenious device OF the war depart
ment He was treated with contemptuous
ind Itierence by General ualleck. When
ordered to abandon the Peninsula he was
50 anxious for an interview with General
Halleck, and free consultation. that he
proceeded from Harrisons Bar to the
nearest telegraph station, and there find
ing that the wires we're broken under
water, he crossed Chesapeake Bay, arriving
at Cherry Stone Inlet, on the east shore
about midnight He Immediately tele-
Graphea TO Washington. informing Genl
Hslleck that he had come all this distance
to nj II, Ii, hi ~,
come to the war department end of the
wire. General Iialleck came and sent
brief and somewhat i'll humored reply.
While General Mcclellan was deciphering
thi. reply Ut was in their private cipher,
the operator informed him that General
Ialleck had left the Washington Office
without so much as saying good night, and
that further telegraphing was useless
G9nl Mcclellan returned 70 his army
brought l. away from he scene Of it. no.
Die exploits, stoed himself, last man OF all,
on the deserted ground, and left the Pen
insula with the conviction that great
error vas in progress at Washington. At.
Fort Monroe he wrote a dispatch to Geul
Hs'.eck, Iournfully eloquent. speaking Of
the services Of his brave arasy aud begging
Halleck 10 recognize :hem. II" said:
Please say kind word TO my army, that
can report 10 them in general orders, in
regard 10 their conduct at Yorktown.
Williamsburg, West Point, Hanover Court
Heuse aad on the ChickahomIny, as well
- in regard to the seven days aud the
recent retreat No one kas ever SAID any
thing 10 cheer thsun but myself Say
nothing about me. Merely give my men
credit for what they have done. II will
do you much good and strengthen yog
mach with them il you ISSUE handsome
order 70 them IN regard 10 vha: they have
accomplished. They de-erv-,t
Verify they did deserve IL They vsre
AZ army of heroes, brought hons from,
fields OF as gallant lighting ao the world
.y.r saw. Bu; there was 10 reply TO .he
request 81 their general They received
no kind word no cheer, no thanks ';TsI-y
we're hurried noa... 70 bo hurled into the
laws os death under 4 commander Sc
.ectoi 10 di>g'ace the general who had
hitherto shared their fortunes NCclel-
ian came TO Alexandria What was his
position sad re.2t'on to the army He
himself dii not know. The process Of
depI!viug him Of his command was going
forward. Fopes army ef Virginia alb
soTbed the army Of the Potomac For
seven days that noble army disappears
ircu history 1t has 10 existence. Nc
Clel!an was left at Alexandria still the
coMmGnd,n: general of the army Of the
Potomac, but there IS an eioqueuce - hich
every heart must feel in his sIrr PIE
narrative O.. what remained to him OF his
once magnificent command. Less than
one hundred men, niaay OF them luvalIGs
and wounded men, were the sole repre-
sentatiTes OF the army of the Potomac
so grand i the contrast which this mar
rat!ve affords between the days which pre-
ceded and those which fsilowed the last
Of August, that II may by some &c sus-
pacted as intentional that the narrative Is
omitted from the incomplete editions Of
the Report. But VIC prefer to regard it as
accidental, especially IN view OF other ana
numerous errors that occur in the same
editions
The secret history of political manruvr-
ing at Washington at this time would, If
made public, explain the whole responsi-
biity OF the disastrous campaign Of cpe.
The blood Of our thousands lost on those
fatal plains of manassas is chargeable di-
rectly on the intrigues of Washington pol
itic!ans, 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 character, night
bring him before the people as a fit man
to lead the whole nation through war to
reace and un.en under the constitution
For this they intrigued and fer this they
have wasted thousands on thousands Of
young lives, poured out on fruitles battle
fields And some Of this secret history
may be recovered from close examna>
ton Of the dispatches and orders issued at
Washin gton, between the 29th August and
2nd September, 1862. Five days brief
time, but filed with great events. Tie
politicians had succeeded, Mcclellan was
debasoa aud discraced. He asks Halleck
for specific orders as TO what he shall do
at Alexandria. Halleck replies, giving
general orders and finding fault. Am
munitien, and particularly for artillery,
must be Immediately sent forward to Cen
trevilIe for Cen. Pope 1t must be done
with all possible Dispatch telegraphs
ualleck, at las o'clock, en- the 3Oth
Mcclellan replies 1T 2;l0 u know moths
Ing of the calibre af Pope's artillery. All
! can do is to direct my ordnanceo = TO
load up all wagons sent to him 4 *
finds fault that Franklin was not 50 rcr
sent forward. Mcclellan replies that
Franklin had no transportation, and finally
marched without wagons, and of course
Then Mcclellan sends n dispatch which
will be memorable in future time:
cannot express to you the pain and
modification have experienced to-day in
listening to the distant sound Of the firin z
of my men. AS can be of no further
use here, respectfully ask that, if there
is probability of the conflict being re-
newed tomorrow, l 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. If it is not deemed
best to intrust me with the command even
of nay own army, l simply ask to be per-
mitted to share their fate on the field OF
battle. Please reply to this to night
No sleep that long night in the little