Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-10-05

u
if he had been loft to find it oas for him
self-he never vent near enough. APP
plausei Hooker had begged again and
l again to attack the enemy. But no.
Mcclellan was an engineer. He under
stood siege. He had seen a siege in the
Crimea, and he was bound to have siege.
if he had 10 have it in frog-rond.
TIE BATTLE OF wILiiANssuRs.
| Well then came the battle Of Williams
burg. Mcclellan wasn't there. and in
that "splendidly organised army" there
was such disputing about seniority and
precedence and right to command. and
things got % mixed, that the battle was
almost lost 90 testify Hooker, Sumner
and Kesrney. But we won the fight.
and, even without a commander in chief,
we fought item all day. and whipped
them as usual, for our boys will whip any
| thin. 10 he world, if properly led. APP
plause. But Mcclellan was back at
Yorktown, and the Generals sent back
| for him to bring order out of confusion.
General Spragus came back for him
through mire up to1bis horses belly
He found him under shed at Yorktown
but he didn't want to come, for he was
| afraid the rain would hurt his trappings.
He said to Sprsgue-thess are his very
| words: II should think the Generals
| could take care Of g little matter like
that" At night, however, just as the
army had won the day, he got there. The
enemy were all in confusion, and Hooker
and others testify on oath, that Richmond
could have been taken with vigorous
effort. But though not there in time to
win the battle, he did get there in time
to order halt And then, while hswsit--
i ed, the enemy began to concentrate and
fortify Richmond. which had never bean
half defended before. -Bs.".i .-.. ---z
FAIR OAKS AND sEY1s rISKs.
When Mcclellan got to the Chieka-
hominy he divided his army, putting
half on one side Of the Chickahominy
and half on the other. 4 food came, and
| the two wings of the army separated
The enemy assailed the half beyond the
IChiekahominy and ovsrpowsred it in
spite of most glorious bravery. But the
Inexk day, General Sumner, without
waiting for orders hurried his men across
the Chiokahominy 10 the assistance of
the rest. They fought the battle OF Sew
en- Pines, and then, Us ever when they
have any chance. our boys were glorious
ly triumphant The brave Hooker was
in front, as be always is, and the enemy
j were flying conlusedly before him, like
sheep before dogs. We were within four
miles of Richmond. But Mcclellan came
up again just in time to call halt Our
officers were swearing aud our men ours
ling, Hooker begging to make the attack,
and the people Of Richmond packing up
to depart And still we halted, and threw
up embaRkments big enough for any rail
way
And, now, with a powerful force in
Western Virginia, Mcclellan stopped and
commenced howling for more troops
But If We hsd given him more. Washing
ton would have been lost. And il you
had given him all the armies of the world,
you could mt have whipped him into Rich
mond. Applause. | make the charge,
II without fear of successful contradiction,
that Mcclellan. in his whole military ca
reer. was never under fire. Why he be-
lieved in long range guns-guns that
4 could carry seven or eight milss-snd he
took precious good care to keep out OF
their way. The Young Napoleon never
crossed the bridge of Lodi. Applause.
Immediately after the battle of Gaines
Mills, which, by some inexplicable blum
der. was fought by one corps only. in the
immediate vicinity of three or four 9th
: ers. Col Alexander testiies tn 1t he visit
ed Mcclellan in his tent. and that the
latter WAS so disheartened by the events
of the dsy, that he had orders drawn up
directing every man to destroy all he had,
and save himself as we'll as he could
Thus our gloriously equipped army OF a
hundred thousand men was ia imminent
peril of being destroyed by the cowardiee
of their commander. So Col Alexander
testifies, and would believe him against
any Copperhead on earth.
TIE RsTREAF.
Then came the attack of the enemy
, They fell upon us in force. and our seat
. tered forces being oyerpowered. were or
dered to retreat to the James River.
Gen. Mcclellan was in the advance, thai
Is of the retreating columns. Running
away. he was ia front. Laughter. Men
:. never fought more bravely in Gods worlc
, than our lion hearted soldiers in that re
treat Amid unequalled priyaii'.ns anC
I fort;t:.de. they reached the hank Of the
e James River. There the battle was TO b
n foueht which would decide the fate o
t this magnificent army. There tru'
-
9 his soldiers and triumphed with them. o
} dIei in his tracks There. surely wa,
e the last ditch"-the wall" to whlel
o the enemy were to be driven-ths jaime
d River on the one side and the unitet
y forces of the Confederasy on the Other
e But Mcclellan rode along the lines OF IN
q army half an hour before the battle com
q menced, and then withdrew on board
q gunboat and hid himself. And the re
suit is shown in General Summers test
E. rnony before the Committee on the Cor
r. duct of the War He says that the CON
1t mapd devolyed on him, and he suttere
b terribly from anxiety. because, net know
d; ing fully the disposition Of our forces, n
had to select his reinforcement by CUES
a But judging that thessfghting was hard
le est on the right, he drew his rsinforc'
a ments from the left. He happened to :
If right. and the rebels threw down the
b. arms in terror Hooker and Sumnt
to agreed in testifying that there was notl
~ ing 10 prevent our following up the vi
n- tory and taking Richmond. But AcCle
IN Ian dispatched q courier to them fro
be his gunboat-noI 10 send them on but
Il order them back. And like bests
it. army, instead of the victorious hero
II. which they were, they retired 10 hsii
he sons Landing. General Hooker, in .
of examination before the Committee
I'd the Conduct of the War, on being aske
Of '.To what do you attribute the failure
ts the Peninsular campsign?" responder
MT ITO the incapacity of the commAnder.i
-ss chief" And this man got the nomln
tion at Chicago on account Of his militia
proves! Well, the coward who hid
- himself in gunboat, while his men :
in battle, is as good man TO sue
an peace as anybody else.
k But shall not abuse your patience
ke following in detail the rest OF his mill
nv nv career. l have not time to prove
rt. YOU how he and Fitz John Porter a
ter franklin loitered at Harrison's Landir
dr. when Pope was being driven back by
ed, combined forces of the South, or D.
ia, Fitz John Porter was condemned by cou