The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-01-16
Gen. McClelan's Report,
General Mcclellan to President
Lincoln.
A Letter Written During the Pei.insular
Campaign.

A Letter Written DurIng the Pei.insular
= Campaign.
Warrington Correspondence of the II. Y. Com
mercial Advertiser.
, The report IL dated New York, Aug. 4
t 1868. 1t begins with an allusion to the re
. suits OF tho victoriss in Western Virginia
> which We learn, were won not at all il
! connection with any general cooperative
} plan OF action; and then goes on to recite
the arrival of the General at Washington n
alter Bull Run; the organization OF the
Army of the Potomac the grand plan laid
: out for tho general campaign of lSol-62
the final invasion of Virginia in 1862 the
Penjnsular movement; the Seven Days
Battles; and the short but glorious Mary
,,sscd campaign Of September, 1862
"On the 1st OF N2vem Der, Gen, McCIei-
Ian was appointed to the chie.e command
Of all the forces of the Union, and at once
began active operations. The theatre OF
war had now extended about tho whole
circumference of the South and it became
necessary, as yell as practicable. to plan a
large and sweeping COM bination of militia
ry operations. An organization Of New
England tro.ps for occupying the coast
line of the South on the middle Atlantic,
which had been selected by Gen. McClel-
Ian in September, 1861, took shape in Jan.
1862, as an expedition uader Gen Burn
side, designed te facilitate lhe movements
of the main body in Eastern. .Virgini. by
An occupation of the coast line Of North
Ca,, ,lina, Gen. Burnside, being ordered
when - should have seized Newbern, to
Occupy ana destry the Weldon and Will
mina,o,. Railrcsd as far west as Colds
boro', and. should circumstances favor. to
push as far as i'aleigh, IlrnIng:on beng,
howeve his ultimate objective poitt-
Caution about proc.a:uations wasrecom-
mended. the General benz urged ." 20 say
as little as possible about rriitlcs or the
negro, and to state merely THAI the truc
issue for which We are fighting IS tn. pres
ervatien of the Union and urholsiing the
laws Of the general government"
At the same time letters were sent 10
Gen Halleck tappoiuted to the command
of the Department OF Missouri to Gen
Buell. lin command OF the Department Of
OHIO to Gen. Sherman Commanding in
South Carolina and Georgia. and 20 Gen.
Butler Commanding the Department Of
tho Gulf Gen Halleck was charged
with the duty Of reducing chaos 10 or
der in his department. In respect TO mill
tary operations he WAS ordered 10 hold the
State by fortified pasts ani concentrate
h. forces en- the Mississippi. Gen, l5uell
was instructed rs to the vast Importance
OF the military occupation Of Eastern Ken
tuckv and Tennessee In Kentucky itself
! he was advised, i" :he conduct Of our politl-
! cal affairs Is perhaps more important than
that OF our military operations, and he
: was urged TO bear in mind I" that we shall
! most readily suppress this rebellion and
1 restore the authority of the government
/ by religiously respecting the unconstitutional
/ rights of all. Ia accordance with the
! feelings and opinions Of the President,
| Gen Mcclellan requested Gen. Buell. 10
assure the people Of Kentucky that their
domestic institutions vii, in no manner be
! interfered with and Ito ailo;s no,h!n:
: but the dictates Of nalitary necessity to
cause him TO depart from the spirit Of
! his Instructions In resi- ect to Tennes.
see, Gen. Buel was ordered to.thsow the
mass Of his troops by rapid. marches by
Cumberland or Walkers Gap, oa Knox
Vile. Ia order 10 occupy the railroad At that
/ point ana cut the conu' uuication be-
tween Eastern Virginia and the MiS,ssiP-
pi" Gen Buell. was furh,er counselsd 10
avoid widening the breach existing be-
tween US and tbs rebels by causeless
arrests and prosecutions of individuals.
II have always found" adds Gen. McClel
Ian. that it is the tendency Of subordi-
mates to make vexaticus arrests on mere
suspicion Gen. Sherman was advised
that the favorable IA onient for c;'p /,
main against Savannah hal been lost, and
that the best course before Lin would be
to Isolate and reduce Fort Pulaski" Bu,
tho reduction OF Charleston and its de-
: fences" was held Up as the great mora.
! advantage to lie sought for which General
Mcclellan was actively maturing his conl-
Linations Gen. Butler was instructed as
to the obstacles to be encountered IN re,
Gucing New Orleans, and was ordered, IS
soon as possible after the iall of that city
to seize all the approaches leading to i,
from the east" and particularly Jackson
in Mississippi" with an ultimate view a:
: we'll to the capture of Mobile a. 10 th:
opening of the Mississippi.
The Instructions thus Issued TO the ger
7 erals named comprehend the entire scope
Of the plans of Cen Mcclellan, of wh,cl
plans the movement Of the Army of ths
,, Potomac, under his own orders was the
central feature. 1t was considered by hin
necessary to the success of these plans tha
. they should be carried out simultaneously
or as nearly SO as possible, and the advanc,
! of the Potomac army upon Richmond by
the Lower Rappahannock, was kept il
: hand BY HIM, to be delivered as the deci
. sive blow in conjunction with all the res
Of the general movement.
Passing over Gen. McClellan's full ant
= elaborate accoubt of the consultations an,
= operations which preceded the advance +
= y Manassas, March 9, 1862, we find that thi
: advance was i tended by him merely [,
!, occupy the troops during the preparation
:. for the Peninsular campaign, then .ulI.
!. decided upon The enemy's force a
Manassas was estimated at ll5.000, will
500 field guns and 300 siege guns. Gen
! Mcclellan reached the Peninsula will
. 81, 900 electives carly in April lie give
!! | his reasons for not assaulting the works a
: York town, describes the battle of vii
!. liamsbursh, with special praise of Gen
= Hancock, and recites the advaace to Rich
2 mond The siege of that city is narrate,
at length, and the change Of base will
!. its attendant battles, at Mechanicsvills
: fought une %, to Malvern Hill, foug
Z july q, 1862. n1his closed" says Sen
. Mcclellan, "the hard fighting which ha'
: continued from the afternoon of the 26tl
of June, in series Of engagements who'll
unparalleled on this continent for deter
mination and slaughter on both sides :
: July 4, the general telegraphed to tn
President that he occupied, at Harrison
Bar, positions (which could be carries
!. only by Overwhelming numbers" 'Th
1 spirit Of the army, he added, "is excel
: lent; stragglers are finding their resi
ments, asd the soldiers exhibit the bes
l. results of discipline" He SUMS up thu
I. results of the briet but fierce campajga
u "I cannot now approximaee to any state
J. nIent of our losses; but we were not beat
on in any Conflict. .-'
d Tho enemy were unable by their utmes
q efforts to drive US frern the field
e We have lost no guns except twenty fiv'
p on the field Of battle, twenty .one:of whicl
we're lost by the giving MaY of MCCALL