Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-08

Halleck telegraphed: 'You viii retain COM
! mand of everything in this vicinity not tenn
porarily with Pope's army in the field. / beg
of you to assist me in this crisis with your
ability and experiences am entirely tired
out"
AT midnight Gen. Mcclellan telegrapLed:
"The occasion is grave, and demands grave
measures. The question Is the salvation of the
country. To speak frankly, there
appears to be total absence of brains, and
fear the total destruction of the army. shall
be up all night, and ready 70 obey any orders
you may give me-"
TIE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN.
On the first of September Gen. Mcclellan
went to Washington, where he was put in
command of the defences Of Washington.
On the same day he was sent to meet the
President at the house of Gen. Halleck where
the President informed him that he had sal
ways been his friend" and begged him to use
his influence to make the Army of the Poto-
mac cooperate heartily with Gen. Pope.
Gen. Mcclellan expressed his disbelief of the
stories which had made such a step seem nee
essary to the President, but cheerfully offered
to do anything in his power to calm the Pres
idential mind. For this the President warm
ly thanked him, and assured him he should
never forget his action in the matter, and left.
Gen. Mcclellan Immediately telcgraphed to
| Gen. Porter that he hoped the whole of the
old Army of the Potomac would most cor
daily cooperate with Cen Pope for the sal
walton Of the country. Gen. Porter at once
replied that they were doing so and would al
WAYS do so.
The next day the President and Gen. Hal
leck came to Gen. Mcclellan at his house,
and begged him to 90 out and stake command
, of the army wherever he might meet it, COM
hitting everything into his hands.
He left Washington in the afternoon, met
: Pope with his retreating columns at Uptons
Hill, rode on to LewisviIle, satisfied himself
of the safety of the rear under Sumner, and
on the next day, the Sd, became satisfied that
the enemy were crossing the Upper Potomac,
and must be met by an active campaign in
! Maryland.
Taking all necessary measures for the de-
fence of Washington, Gen. Mcclellan, on the
, 9TH, left, having received no authoritative and
explicit transfer of the command into his
f hands, and proceeded to reorganize and push
: forward the shattered Army of Virginia with
the Army of the Potomac against the victori-
Gus enemy.
Gen. Halleck and the President remained
/ in condition of great alarm for the safety of
| Washington while the movement was going
} on. but were entirely uncertain as to where
the enemy was or what he would be at. On
the 1th, the former telegraphed, II think the
main force of the enemy is in your 'front.' more
troops can be spared from here" On the
18th, the latter teIegraphed "Gov. Curtin
telegraphs me, Il have adviceS that jackson
is recrosSimg the Potomac at Williamsport,
: and probably the whole rebel army will be
: drawn from Maryland Please do not let the
enemy get off without being hurt"
: On the 18th, Gen. Halleck telegraphed,
until YOU know more certainly the enemy's
! force south Of the Potomac, YOU are wrong in
: thus unccvering the capital"
( On Che 10th, Gen. Mcclellan having posi-
: tive evidence that the whole rebel army was
in Maryland, Gen. Halleck telegraphed: "Of
course | cannot advise. | think, however,
: you will find the whole force Of the enemy in
! front has crossed the river"
With his left resting well on the Potomac,
: and sure of his plans, Gen. Nc lellan steadily
moved forward with his army on five parallel
: roads, ready for concentration at any time in
battle. lie had on the 18th come into pos
t session of order issued by Gen. Lee,
5 which revealed to him the whole of the enc
: my's plans, and confirmed his own purpose.
The whole case made by the COMMITTEE
} on the Conduct of the War;" without sending
for Gen. Mcclellan or any of his staff, in rela-
ton to the Maryland campaign, and the cap
: ture OF Harper's Ferry, is examined atlength
; by Gen. Mcclellan.
The gallant carrying of Durkettsville by
: Franklin, which put that General, on the night
} of the 14th, within three and half miles cf
: the point on Maryland Heights where he
might have formed junction with Miles,
had not that officer previously Withdrawn
} from those heights, which he had been or
dered to hold to the last, is graphically de-
scribed.
The battles of South Mountain and An
tietam are next described at length. On the
! day after the former victory, the President
: telegraphed to Gen. Mcclellan, "God bless
YOU and all with you; destroy the rebel army
: if possible"
The results of the Maryland battles are
thus summed up; r Z
. Thirteen guns, thirty-nine colors, upwards
of fifteen thousand stand of small arms, and
5 more than six thousand prisoners were the
trophies which attest the success of our army
in the battles of South Mountain, Champions
? Gap and Antiefam. Nor gun or a color was
lost by our army during these battles. The
> grand total OF our losses i'll men at Antietanl
!. is stated at 12,469.
In reply to his telegram announcing that
the enemy had been wholly driven from Ma
, ryland, General Mcclellan received this dis
. patch: --.c.,..
r ave arc still left entirely in the dark as to
your movements and those of the enemy.
r This should not be so. You should keep me
!. advised of both as far as you know them.
q "H w HALLECK"
Gen. Mcclellan replied with what informal
/ ton he possessed, and added: IL regret that
e you find it necessary 10 couch every dispatch
i have the honor to receive from you, in a
d spirit of fault-fnding, and thai you have not
!. yet found time to say one word in commenda-
n ton of the recent achievements of this army,
: or even to allude to them"
d Gen. Mcclellan then goes on to paint the
q condition, after its victories, of this heroic
!, army, hastily recognized after the crushing
q defeats it had experienced under Gen. Pope,
: and far from its base of supplies ON the Upper
: Potomac. In three weeks from the day when
j the command of the shattered legions had
y been hurricdly thrust into his hands, Pennsyl-
4 yania and Maryland had been delivered, the
t capital saved. and the triumphant enemy
d driven back in Gefeat beyond the river To
: have followed that enemy would, in the cir