The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-09-29

PuINuucnI III S'NtoneuJ HlaNc Z
through the Philadelphia North I.
american, and signed by Mr. |
BorRLiLR. and originally addressed 1
to the National Union Club of that
city in response to note Of inqui. /
ry on the subject.
The following is Mr.. Bourlier's
statement:
To Tie Members Of ,I0 National
Union Ciub P6iidde'phia.
GFNrLEMEN: am in possession
of vour note, in which you ask !
me it remember having made
certain assertions at the rooms of
the National Union Club in Janu.
airy last, on my return from the
rebel lincs, in regard to Gen. Geo.
u. Mcclellan and Clement l.. Val.
landigham, and desiring to know
i'll would rciterate said statement.
recollect perfectly well having
made certain statements in regard
to the two persons named, and in
presence of several members Of
the Club.
In response to your inquiry if |
would repeat said statement, will
answer You by saying: First,
That while the battle before Rich.
mond, Virginia, in 1862, was still
progressing, and Immediately after
Me lellan had fallen back from
before that city in company with n
friend, an officer in the rebel SER
vice, who was prevented from
joining his command in tho
fight in question, on account Of
wound received ut the battle Of
Seven Pines, and being provided
with special permit from the war
Department at Richmond, | visit.
ed the Qualifications around Rich.
mond, and advanced to n distance
OF about two miles north of tat
city, where we met Col. Gayle, OF
tho 18th Alabama (rebeD regi.
ment, who was q particular friend
of the officer ia whose company !
was; also Lieut.. Colonel Pickens.
OF the same regiment, with whom
/ had the advantage of personal
acquaintance. The Colonel was
experimenting the disinterment of
a number OF cases of Z. s. rifles,
which lay buried in the ground
and in rows, the soil heaped over
them ~ if they were graves. Four
Of the cases were already unburied
when | reached the spot, and ! had
the Ito me uuploasanD satisfaction
of handling some of those guns
which had already been taken out
of the ca 'es.
|. heard Col. Clay say the inter.
ment of those guns was known at
the War Department (Rebo0 even
before McClellan's retreat from
before that city.
On the inquiry ofmy friend and
DR.. Kelly, of the rebel army, from
Col. Gayle, if he thought it hpd
boen intended that said guns
should fall into the hands Of the
Cmiederates. the Colcncl answered
in the affirmative, and concluded
by saying. MACS ALL RIGHT"
| Not more than q hundred Yards
distant from this spot, Lieut. Col.
Pickens pointed out to me n num-
Der of ambulanccs-two hundred
and ten in number-and said he
had assisted at their capture, and
that. when captured, the horses
belonging to said ambulances were
hitched; some to trees and some
to the rear of the ambulanccs. As
| was then in the employ Of the
United States, il was my business
to gather much information in
regard to military matters as pos
sible, and oil my inquiry of Col.
Pickons if he thought these ambu'
! lances had been intended to be in
the same bargain" as the rifles,
he said, 81 don't see what else they
should have been INTENDED for, for
they were Just where you SEQ them,
and the horses hitched as You see
them, while the fight was going
on right here"
Presently some whisky was
handed round, and we all drank a
toast to "LlTILE MAC"
About the month OF April the
same year, as | was going from
Richmond to Mobile, in company
/ with Lieut.. Wiltz aud DR.. Knoed
of Missouri, and DR.. Fontleroy, ot
Virginia the two latter gentlemen
being Of the rebel General Prices
staff, VIC met with Brig. Gen.
Watson, Of Alabama. Gen. w atson
said in any pressnce thar then, oil
1T any time after the war, he could
give satisfactory proof that George
| b. Mcclellan, of the federal army,
at the outbreak Of the Rebellion
aud during the preliminary ar
rangements for the organization o.
the Confederate army, had offered
l his services to the Confederate
Government, but that as the Con.
federate Government bad resolved
TO give rank III preference to otb-
cers formerly in the United States
service, according to seniority OF
rank, they could not give TO Nc
J. Clellan what he desired, as other
officers ranked him in seniority;
and that Mcclellan, baving Be,
come offended al Mis, tAen 91ered
his sJrriesS to The United States.
In December, 1856 ;. | had occas.
Il i,>n M call on Gov. Shorter. of