Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-10-07
VOL. XVI---NO. II.


tered forces being overpowered, were or
dered to retreat to the james river
General Mcclellan was in the advance,
that is, Of the retreating columns. Run
ming away he was front. Men never
fought more bravely in Gods world
than our lion-hearted soldiery in that
retreat, Amid aasgualled privations
to be fought win Id decide the fate
of this magnificent army. There true
general would have led on his soldiers
and triumphed with them or died in his
tracks. There, surely, was the "last
ditch n-the "wail, y to which the ene-
my were to be driven-the James river
on the one side, and the united forces of
the COnfederacy on the other. But Nc
Clellan rode along the lines of the army
half an hour before the battle COM
menced, and then withdrew Oh board of
gunboat and hid himself And the re-
suit is shown in General Summers testi-
mony before the Committee on the Con-
duet of the War. He says the command
devolved on him, and he suffered terri
bly, from anxiety, because, not knowing
fully the disposition of our forces, he
had to select his reinforcements by
guess. But judging that the fighting
was hardest on the right, he drew his
reintorcements from his left. He hap
Dened to be right, and the rebels threw
down their arms in terror. Hooker and
Summer agreed in testifying that there
was nothing to prevent our following up
the victory and taking Richmond. But
Mcclellan dispatched courier to them
from his gunboat-nOt to send them on,
but to order them back. And like a
IF m iItr
heroes which they We're, retired to Har-
rison's Landing. General Hooker, in
his examination before the Committee
on the Conduct OF the War, OH being
asked, To what do you attribute the
allure of the Peninsular campaign?"
responded, To- the itc0p0csty OF the
COlnH1QHder-iil-Ch Chief" And this man
got the nomination at Chicago Oh ac-
count of his military prove. Well,
the General who hides himself in gun
boat, when his men are i'll battle, is as
good q man to sue for peace as anybody
else.
But I shall not abuse your patience by
following in detail the rest Of his military
career. I have not tme to prove to you
how he and Fitz John Porter and Frank
lin iojtered at Harrison $ Landing when
Pope was driven back by the combined
forces OF the South, or how Fitz John
Porter was condemned by court martial
as & traitor, cashiersd and broken of his
command, when he was no more guilty
than Mcclellan, who gave him his
orders, or Franklin who loitered by his
side. Mcclellan fingered for three
weeks at HarrisOu's Landing. After
the battle of Autietam he permitted the
enemy to cross the river under q flag of
truce He fought the battle Of Antietam
-~l, l.-iY Id 1n OF
ington General Heintzelman told me
only few days since that he besought
Mcclellan to give him sixty thousand of
them and let him cross the Potomac and
head off the retreat OF the enemy-and
Mcclellan refused to let his cavalry fol-
low the enemy, because, as he said they
were tired. Tired Of what? Merely OF
lying still, for they hadn't moved for six
weeks.
GOOD NEWS FROM TIE ARMY.
have but lately visited our army. I
have been through its lines. I have
talked with its officers. l have learned
from them some Of the plans now on
foot. OF these [ am not permitted to
speak, but [ can tell you one thing
treason IS played out, and you'll hear
thunder along our line long before the
Presidential election.
It may not be generally known that
the pay due to our soldiers in Southern
prisons can be obtained by their wives,
on presentation by the latter of proper
vouchers, to the Pay Department in
Washington.
When Sheridan went into the Shenan-
.doah Valley, the rebel papers had much
to say eXutingly about the d" Early bird
ntol, ,ir,s, +l,,
cheerful now that they discover how
speedily the Early bird got his - Phil"
Jim Lane is tough, and must have
metal in his flesh rs well as metal in his
spirit. Under the broiling sun of last
August, he stumped Southern Kansas
rode 80 miles day for is days, and made
three speeches per day--neVer missing
an appointment.
\ train on the Columbus and Cleya-
land Road was stopped the other day in
its headlong run byseveral men gesticu-
lating wildlyOn bank ahead. The con-
ductor demanded what the matter was,
when the men replied that they had got
in nest of hornets and Were fighting
them. The train went on.
CaptainFish's overland train, from St.
Paul to Idaho, has been attacked by In
dians. Eleven whites and twenty
savages were killed. The Captain in
trenched and sent to General Sully for
help. Sully has hadanother battle with
the Sioux, 5000 strong. and defeated
them with trihing loss OH his part The
loss the Indians j. not stated.
About 500 Of the rebel prisoners con-
fined on Rock Island, have recently en-
listed in the service uftbe United States.
They are to be sent 70 the Northwest
Territories to take part in operations a.
gainst the hostile Indians AT present
they are separated for personal safety
from their feliow-prisoners, some of
whom manifest much hatred towards
them because they have volunteered.