The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-10-21

enemy, he, Mcclellan, preferred not TO
make known his plan of campaign to the
Cabinet unless the President should order
it, and the President declined to make
the order.
Mr. Chase remarked to one present,
that if Mac persist in thus refusing infor-
nation, he is ruined man.
These circumstances occurred in Janu-
airy and on February Sd. Do you still
intend to reaffirm "that Mcclellan had no
plan until the Democratic Senators, Mr..
Latham aud Mr.. Rice, and brigadier,
from the column Of Joseph Hooker, cou-
cocted one, aud packed a council of war to
approve of 2" on tac 9Th of March there.
after.
Snow, Judge, yeu will save yourself
and friends much confusion, which you
have caused them in following you, if you
would read the orders aud letters that have
been published upon all Of these military
subjects, and which may all be found in
your favorite work of the Committee on
the Conduct Of the War, or in Gen. Me-
Clellan's Report, which is not SO great .
lavorite with you. You evince again, the
most extraordinary confusion when you as.
sert that the President gave him ten days
to find plan, and confound the orders |
have referred to with the following order
of the President
Executive MANSION, }
WASHINGTON, March s, 1862.
"Presilent's General War Order No. s.
"That any movement as aforesaid, en-
route for base Of operations, which may
be ordered by the Commander in Chief,
and which may be intended to move upon
the Che apeake Bay, shall begin to move
upon the bay as early as the 18th Of March,
inst, and the General in Chief shall be
responsible that it moves as early as that
day. A. LINCOLN.
81. THOMAS, Adjutant General"
In which you will observe, he did not
order Gen. Mcclellan to produce plan
within ten days as you assert, but that his
movement should commence within ten
days.
After such documentary proofs under
the hands of the President himself, it will
not do for you to attempt to sustain your
self By imaginary conversation "wilh weN-
known individuals" Judge, if ever a
question Of veracity comes up between
you aud myself, We alone must settle
it, and you must not attempt to shuttle off
your responsibility, aud place it upon 9TH
ers. This may have been your practice
heretofore, aud you may have 50 acted with
IMMUNITY, but rest assured it will not be
permitted by me. You refer to some
great surprise that General Mcclellan pro-
prosed to make on the rebel line at Brcnts-
vile, and you make out, 10 doubt to your
satisfaction, that the success of the sur
prise depended entirely upon certain
bridge to be constructed of canal boats,
that were to have been passed into the
Potomac near Harper's Ferry, and that it
was found, when the movement was about
to be made, that the outlet lock was too
narrow for the boats. Now, this surprise
of Brcntsville may be entirely clear to you
and Senators Wade aud johnson, but to
myself and to my military friends, we can.
not understand how the rebels in the d.
rection Of Brentsvile could have been sur
prised by any movement in the direction
indicated by you; but Isuppose that that
is not important with you, your real OBJ
ject being only to relate the story of that
obstinate canal-boat, that had passed
through all Of the other locks upon the ca.
nal, but refused, in the face of the enemy,
to pass the outlet lock. Did it ever occur
to you that an empty canal boat, 10 the
hands of thousands of men, could be trans
ferred down hill, from the canal to the rv-
or, with but litle difficulty, and that there
might have been some other reason than
the one assigned by you? But, admitting
all that you claim, did it never occur to
you that it is not expected that the entire
detail, attending the movement of large
army, is to be superintended by the Com
mander thereof in person? | will even
grant you that in theory you are right, and
that General Mcclellan should not have
had officers attached to his staff, who me-
elected to use every precaution to prevent
failure. But be Standardization fail to
remember the awful disappointment when
that pontoon train failed to appear upon
the kappahannock, aud when the vials Of
wrath were poured, not upon the head OF
the favorite Of your party, General Burn
side, but upon those Of Generals Hallcck,
Meigs and Woodbury., and :ain be CHAR
table, and do hot i4il to remember how
carefully you have secrettd that more ter.
rible bluudcr than ever occurred in the
annals If this or any other war, by which
we have no less than twenty three mont
tors, constructed at an expense of over
twelve millions of dollars, and which, by
the nice calculations OF the naval engineers
brought in after one vi them was launch
ed, it WIS determined that with their ar
mament they scouW .Roat just JiOe inches
"ncier ,cat,r. snow, Judge, who is respon-
sib'e for this? Again be charitabe.-
But do not fail Is remember that the