The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-01-30

At Lower Occ0quan and vicinity ..--....- lo,OO,
Leesourg -.-.-.-------..-..- 20 0, 00,
Shenandoah Valley. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. l5,oV'
ll5,5O(
With about 300 field guns and 80 siege
guns. # -
A striking account is given by General
Mcclellan of the strength of the Confederate
field works at Manassas and in the vicinity
"A strength which 'civilians" cannot well
appreciate, but of the Importance OF which
the history of war gives every competent
military man full sense.
While at Fai fax Court House, three days
after tue advance had begun, General Nc
Clellan was informed by telegram from
one ot bis staff that an order had been pub
lished in the newspapers of that day, signed
by the President and relieving him (Gen.
McClellan) of the command.in chief OF the
army of the United States.
By this order the plans of campaign,
begun and intended to be executed in con
formity with general scheme Of operations,
were summarly interfered with at their
very inception.
General Mcclellan, ,dough uniformed of
this most important step till it was taken,
at once wrote to the President rcitsratiug
what he bad said before that "no feeling OF
selfinterest or ambition should ever pre-
vent him from devoting himself to the ser
vice" .....- '4'.''
On March 18th, council of Generals
commanding army corps decided in favor OF
the Peninsula campaign. The President,
renewing his entreaties that Washington
might be kept perfectly safe, gave his as
sent to this movement, and General Nc
Clelan details at length the history of the
steps by which it was finally carried out.
THE MOVEMENT TO THE PENINSULA.
Just before the expedition moved, the
President met General McClel Ian and infor-
med him that he had been strongly pressed
to seperate Blerker's division from his army
and give it to Gen. Fremont, but that he
was opposed to doing So and would not do
so. A few days afterward Blenker's divl-
sion was ordered by the President to JOIN
Gen. Fremont, and Gen. Mcclellan was
thus deprived of 10000 of the troops upon
which he had counted. The President,
however, assured him that no political pres
sure should again induce him 70 deprive the
Army of the Potomac Of any more Of its
force. --ragAEs
On the first of April Gen. Mcclellan
then on his way to Fortress Monroe, esti-
mated the troops left to hold Washington
Manassas, and the Lower Potomac, with
the Shenandoah valley, at 73 456 men with
100 light guns, larger force than han held
the same region during the eventtul and
perilous months of July, August and Sep
1ember, 1861. General Barry. chief Of ar.
ailery, states that at Washington there
were left 80 field pieces, withmen, horses and
equipments.
The testimony of General Hitchcock, who
reported to the President on the I'd of April
that the force left for the defence of Wash
ington was inadquate, is aduced to show IN
his own words, that it was clear that the
enemy "had no intention Of reoccupyiDs
Manassas Junction, and that, therefore, no
large force would be required to hold that
position ..r.,.- ....
The President, however, on the 9th April
telegraphed to General Mcclellan at Fort
ress Monroe his fears for tie capital, based
on the alarming fact that the slime from
Richmond to Manassas junction was entirey
OPEN" ~...,g.
The Navy Department is shown to have
declared that ''the MeCrlmac was neutral
zed. and that the naval forces co uid CO op
perate efficiently, and break through
between Yorktown and Gloucester
point" -. ~, :,
General Mcclellan also shows that, March
l6. 1862, he gave orders for the intrenchmen1
Of Chester Gap and of the point at whichthe
Manassas Gap Railway crosses the Shenan'
doah. This way for the purpose ofprevent'
ing precisely such a movement as was made
in Nav foilowing by Gen. Jackson. The
change made by the President in the com
mand of the army prevented the fullfillment
of these orders. ii l.&ah}n9 -H~
g .,-,,. - j. -- 1.4.