The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-25
Ereuiug Selegraph
gEE. No0ALI VS.. GEN. MoOIBLLAN.

HNLAANaNANFA~N
serves-GenerRI McCaIrs TrIumphsnt
vaMdfcatfon-Tbe Reserves ExOuerted
frenn Ai Blame-The battle Of Glen
dale Frank Testimony Of General
Meade-The Reserves save the Army
from observation-disclosures McOBelian's
Report Not tn Accordance with Facts
Letters from Generals HeintzeIsaan aud
BaFTy-Extrects from the Report, Of
Generals Sumner and Hooker, and
Colonel LIE Roy Stone.
Sequel 20 General NcCalI's Report of ''Tbe
penna. Reserves in the Peninsula.o
regret extremely that Justice to myself and to my
division should render any further comment OF mino
on the ofhoial statements OF General MCCLELLAN in
his report of the Peninsula Campaign, at all necus-
sAry. But having been prompted in sof-doiensc to
publish my own report, Immediately on observing IN
daily Journal an extract from that officers report
rejecting on my division, published in advance OF
the official document printed by order OF Congress,
and having subsequently discovered the latter
ther statements Injurious 20 myself and my COM
rnand was led 10 opon correspondence with seve-
raj Genera officers who served in that campaign.
This correspondence has but recently closed II has
brought 20 light some interesting facts and have
taken the earliest leisure could devote to the mat
ker 10 lay these developments before my countrymen.
The services of my division have been either msn-
terpreted or misunderstood; and consequent misro.
presenatons disorediabe TO the author as unjust
10 myseli have been issued TO the world IN every
Io,m adjudication by the hundred thousand copies.
ia an unpleasant task to revert 20 this subject for
before the var | had entertained no other feelings
tha those OF amiy for General MCCLELLAN, and
non6dence in his ability and integrity Whom how
ever assertions are made which in my Judgment arc
unsupported by facts IL becomes my duty to "rec,ify
me record. now proceed ;-GCneral MCCLELLAN,
In his official report House Rop. Ex. Doc. No. 10,
mage 1871 quotes from and indorsos General HEINr-
zEIMAE's report with respect to the operations of
nv division in the battle OF Wilson's Farm, endale
or New Market Cross Roads, varously called,
rather freely, considering that HEINTzELMAS was
ali the time in my rear, separated by strip of pine
forest from my battle-ground, where he could, from
personal observation, know absolutely nothing OF
what was passing in my division
One Of these quotations is the following :-"Gene-
raj HEMTzELMAE states that about five O'Clock z.
H. General MoCALL's Division was attacked in
large force evidently the principal attack; that in
less than an hour the diyi-ion gave way"
In order expose the here promulgated II is
only necessary to cite GeGeral MCCLELLAN himself.
On the same page ana the following one of his Re
port fp 187-sl he makes this statement go General
SUMNER says OF this battle, The battle of Glendale
was the most action since the battle OF Fair
Oaks. About (threel O'Clock =. NJ. the action COM
meneed and alter furious contest lhsting till after
dark, the enemy was routed at all poiuts and driven
from the field"
Now II is known beyond the possibility of a caYil
that my division was engaged with the enemy, single
handed, for two hours before either SUMNER
HOOKER saw the enemy at all, forit was not until
about lfve) p Nj. whom SEvMoUR's Brigade OF my
division was forced back SUMMERS right and par
tally on HOOKER, that tue commands OF either of
these ofacors became engaged. That these troops
received the shock handsomely no one has denied,
though General SUMNER told me in Washington
about the early part of November, 1862, that he be-
keved General HooKERs Division would have been
driven in by the impetuosity of the enemy, had he
81
Hxty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers to the support
Of that General. This en- pdSsdnt. But what makes
the Official report OF General HEISrzELrIAN appear
Ahttle sncUar is the fact that General HOOKER who
commanded division of HEIETzELMAE's Corps, in
bis official report to HEISTzELMAE himseJ, makes
this statement;-"About three O'Clock the enemy
commenced 4 vigorous attack on MCCALL" (See
Rebellion Record vol. g. p. 26O.) Thus both SUMNER
and HOOKER being in my immediate vicinity, and
Their unasked testimony as 10 the hour at which my
division was attacked agreeing with my own official
report ii ia rendered patent that my division at
lacked at three O'Clock Z. NJ and not at five o'clock
p. H., as reported by General MCCLELLAN.
With respect TO my division having given away in
Sesa than an hour need only say that, the test-
mony OF every officer commanding a regiment and
many others of the division proving the assertion tC
DO unfounded, has been published heretofore in my
report, shall only refer to the frank and manly
testimony OF General MEADE, in a letter TO mo
dated Camp Warronton, Va. Nov z, 1897
"' IL was only the stubborn resistance
ohered by our division tine Pennsylvania Reserves
pRoloneing the contest till after dark, and checking
ill that time the advance OF the enemy that enabled
the concentration during the might OF the whole
army on james River, which savedit." tSee printed
Teport.l
II ie thus rendered equally patent that my division
did not give way in less than an hour, but Tough
ill night put an end TO the battle.
1he foregoing are my grounds TOR declaring tn
tn. Mo- asna
to 70 not in accordance ,oith Jcets.
There ia another passage in General MCCLELLAN
report, the Immediately preceding that just d
Cassed, in which he makes 1t appear that my DiU
sion waa reluctantly compelled TO give way boioI
heavier force Gccumu ited upon them," and quotC
my report. Whether my report was misquoted Q
miscopied I cannot pretend to say but cortainl
did not intend TO convey that idea. What di
mean to convey is this:-1hat the two regiment
tFourth and SEVENTH of MRADE's Brigade, in SUP
port Of RANDALL's battery "were reluctantly com
pelied 70 give way before heavier force accumu
lated upon them" And this will appear to ever
impartial reader when he reads in the next sentenc
OF my report these emphatic words = "The contro
my division was still engaged" This sen
tenee General MCCLELLAN ignores and omits an
OF course the impression intended to be lett on tn
public mind is that had stated in my report tina
my DipisioH tcas compelled 10 giUe lbdy. This wa
not my intention, certainly. The truth Is, whe
RAFDALL's battery, on the right Of the division
was captured in my presence, rode to the oentr
OF the division order 20 bring mp a sufficient forc
to recover the battery which still lay upon It's Owl
ground, some Of the guns overturned and sur
rounded by tory odd dead hOrsesi but / found the
centre so hOtv engaged as 60 demand all my
zion and socitude until the attack a. @''eh
should be repe led, which in a She sis' pom
satisfaction 10 witness, with T. = "lno hAu 'n
dRrd OF the Tenth Alaba' &c ohpuele oi lno 81 slal
pAIIls BATTERY was IA. In the meantime RAJ
IoneI RoIIIEar rse6ptured by Lieutenant-C
guns mad q, Of the Seventh, eater one OF II
bros ,seD turned upon him and ITS conten
- inio pa ranks" And 1 now assert that &
II On -Sas not compelled 10 give way, as stat
by Gehera MCCLELLAN. tSac ais (BoLLtNGEE'
testimony in my printed Teport)
On the same page with the foregoing (l81l Genei
MoCLI LIAM states :-"General MoCALL's uOC
soon began to emerge IRON the woods into the op
field. Several batteries were IN position and beg
"to Ere into the woods over the heads OF our o.
men in 'front.' Captain DR RussY's Battery Y
placed on the right OF General SUMMERS artillc
with orders to shell the woods"
1t Is necessary, IN order that the foregoing sta
nent may be understood, 10 explain TO the reai
that 1t is quotation from General HENTzKLMA
report (HEISTzELMAE himself having "paced
RUssY's batterYl, and refers to earlier part of
action, when SEYNOUR's Brigade OF my division
back on SUMNER, and before RANDALL's Bait
was attacked. Indeed MoCLELLAEs report OF