Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-04-14
THE SUPPRESSED DISPATCHES.

Mcclellan concerning his military administration,
lately published is to be corrected, for the sake of
history, by the publication of all his official de-
spatches. The omitted dispatches, now lying ON
Secretary stanton's table," it is added, make .
pile foot and half high"
We take occasion to say that we hope the pub
lication will be made, and we are quite at loss to
understand why "aH these official dispatches"
have not been long ago given to the public in an
authentic shape 1t is known to our readers that
the Secretary of War, in his annual report Of De-
cember, 1862, stated that "t1e communications
.Jetaceen the Department and the respective COM
monders acere prepared under resolution of the
Senate at the last session. and will be transmitted
to Congress whenever you 1.-THE President shall be
pleased to give your sanction"
In the official report of the proceedings of the
Senate on the 9th of December, 1862, we find the
following record:
Mr. SHERMAN. move to take up for consideration
the resolution offered yesterday.
The melton agreed to; and the Senate proceeded
to consider the following resolution:
Resoiped That the Secretary of War Re n
communicate TO the Senate if incompatible with the pub
lie service all correspondence egras letters and reror
concerning ne iadry operations of the Army of P0o
since ais rahdrapai from Harrisons Landing and all
correspondence letters kilograms and reports relating the
of Hapeis Ferry aud the testimony before
the Commits ee OF investigation upon such surrender
"Mr. SUMNER suggest to the Senator from Ohio
whether IL would not be eXpedent to make the call little
broader to tie whole of the ARMY
of the Potomac from the tune it lett Washington.
Mr.. SHERMAN. The Secretary of Far has informed
us IN has annual report that nnder previous caI of
Senate that ,oiu be comm and therefore do MOT
irish 10 duplicate the information.
Mr.. SUMNER. II tnats the case shall not press my
suggestion
"Mr, GRIMES. / beg to inquire Of the Senator from
Ohio to what committee of investigation he alludes
Does he mean the court OF inquiry that by order of the
secretary OF war 90 investigate the transactions growing
out Of the surrender of Harpers Ferry If So it is not
properly designated 1t not committee of invssti-
CATION, but court Of inquiry which s technical term
Mr. SHERMAN If the Senator thinks the description
s not correct ask TO have the proper words OF
nquiry-inserted. thought it was mere committee.
Mr.. GRIMES. No, sir.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore 1t is competent for the
Senator from Ohio to modify his resolution, and it
will be mOdfed
The resolution, as modified was adopted"
And, again, under the date of December Sth,
1852, we find record of the following proceeding
had in the Senate:
"Mr SUMNER. 1 ofIsr resolution which is in the ma
tura c an amendment to that passed by the Sem
ate on Friday last
Resoiud That the call upon the Secretary of Wsr for
all correspondence kilograms and reports the
military operations of the army of the Potomac be e1ended
of this army"
The resolution considered By unanimous consent
and agreed TO-"
And yet, notwithstanding this call on the par
of the Senate, and Notwithstanding the announce
ment made by the Secretary of War, no such off,
cial exposition as tho Senate led has ever been
allowed to see the light and the country has been
left to exc out its intelligence respecting the off,
cial communications which have attended the ope.
rations of this army in the best way it could,
either through such unauthenticated documents
as have found public ty in the newspaper reports
OF courts-martial, or in such truncated and one
sided publications as that made by the Committee
on the "Conduct Of the War"
Why there should be 50 much reticence prac-
tisd in regard to the pub icaton of papers already
prepared In part for transmission to Congress, but
necer transmitted, passes our power of comprehen-
sion. We have never been able to understand
what useful or honest purpose could be subserved
BY their suppression. The country wants to read
these paper, an an official shape and an their en-
t'rety, without suppressions and without notes or
comments to make them mean what somebody or
anybody may desire to make them mean
On this general subject we have to repeat our
entire concurrence in the recommendation made
by the late Generalin Chief in his last annual re-
port 1t will be remembered that in that report
Gen. Halleck stated that he had encountered many
difficulties 10 its compilation from the want of off,
cia data on which to found his statements For
instance, Gen. Burnside, though frequently re-
quested to make an official report of the operations
which preceded and attended the disaster at Frede-
ricksburg while he was in command of the Army
of the Potomac, has "fprnished no information
beyond that contained in his brief kilograms sent
from the field" In like manner Gen. Halleck, in
giving hasty account Of the terrible repulse suffer
ed by the same army at Chancelorsville while it
was commanded by Gen. Hooker, is compelled to
report that @ for the want Of official data" he is
unable to give any detailed accounts of the opera
tons or losses connected with that sad episode in
our military history.
After stating his complaint under this head by
way Of apology for me Of the omissions in bis
report, Gen. Halleck proceeded to say that the de-
tails given by him in that expedition Of our
military operations "have been compiled from tele-
grams, dispatches, and reports scattered through
the various bureaus Of the War DEPARTMENT. - and