The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1864-09-29
The Military Maunchausen.

General McClellan's report correctly
describes the battle of South Mountain
as the storming of strong natural posi-
tions held by the enemy with infantry
and artillery on the crest Of noun
tain 900 feet high, aided by Temporal
ry distinctions and breast.works. Our
troops, in tho face of these dificulties,
effected Judgement on the 8rest on the
18th of Septem Der. Common sense will
assure every man that in such fighting
the assailant must be the greatest suffer
err. The battle ceased at night. Du.
ring the night the enemy withdrew,
which was not discovered till our skir-
mishers advanced next morning. 1t
was a brilliant performance for our
troops, but 10000 men might hold such
place for time against 10000.
In the morning when it was reported
to General Mcclellan that the enemy
had quietly withdrawn during the night,
and were out of sight, he began tele-
graphing to Washington for country
circulation, the following dispatches, by
which the reader will be able 10 meas
ure the mental and military capacity
and the reliability of the Young Ma.
poleon:
FThe enemy is making for tn river
in perfect hnic. General Lee at aztec
last night publicly that no must admit
that they had been shockingly whipped
I am hurrying everything forward to
endeavor to press their retreat to tht
utmost"
Later in the day he telcgrnphed:
"Informa,ion this moment received
com mpletely confirms the rout and de
moralization Of the rebel army. Gen
eral Lee is reported wounded, and Gar
land killed. General Hooker alone ha
over 900 prisoners, 700 having beel
sent to Frederick. It is stated that lie
gives his loss as 1000 We are follow
Ping as rapidly as the men can move"
Thus he represented this to the cOun
try as a general engagement with Lee
whole army, in which Lee, who wa
miles away, was wounded, &nd TN
conf nfessed to being sh ockingIy whippe,
and to the loss of fiftee thousand mel
which was more than the enemy's whol
: force at South Mountain; aud that tn
balance of Lees army was "routed an
demralized" and making for the rive
in a perfect panic" ... .
He was able to telegraph all this t.
the country when ho knew the result
of the previous days fighting, in whic
our troops, under all the disadvantage
of storming that strong position, ha
lost but ,568 in all, which must bav
been greater than the enemy's loss.
The Government and the country dis
counted this Nun chausen bill. Gen
eral Mcclellan states in his report: 80
tho next day had the honor to receiv
the following very kind dispatch fror
his Excellency the Presidents"
WAR DEPARTMENT, WAsHINT0N,
Sept. 10, 1S62-2;45 P. NJ.
h.. Your dispatch of to-day received
God bless you, and all with you, De
stroy the rebel army If possible.
~, ,y. A.LINCOLN.
To MAJoR-GEN. MCCLELLAN.
But in his report General McClella
does not give the stupendous dispatcht
which elected this sanguinary an
grateful reply. On the contrary /
represents the onemy's Withdrawal {
complete before he knew it, and h
, march in pursuit as cautious, under b
order that as soon as the advance can
up with the enemy, it should halt an
await his arrival. Cons quently, theI
was NO pressing of the rstreat to tt
utmost, nor at all; aud Lee, whose re-
guard was holding South Mountain III
til another detachment could captu
Harper's Ferry, had two. days to cor
j eentrate his army and strengthen b
V position at Antietam.-[Cin. Gazette
.,,u. 80
y y Gen. Grants wife is a quiet, sensit