Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-08


of the Potomac Fought, and h"w It's
ington-Gen. ucCieIIan's Tribute to
his Soldiers.
rive are indebted to the New York World
for the following synopsis of Gen. McClellan's
report:
Gen. Mcclellan has at last been permitted
to tell his own story of the great campaign
for which the administration has endeavored
to make him responsible to history and the
country. When we say that this story proves,
beyond cavil or contradiction, that for the
campaign of 1862 Gen. Nc Celan is in truth
responsible only so far as concerns the saliva
ton of an army imperilled by the reckless and
ignorant strategy of knot of selfish pollti-
clans, we say what the most passionate and
prejudiced reader of these clear and quiet and
manly pages will find it hard to gainsay, at
least In the secret of his own brain and heart.
The whole story, be it remembered, too, is not
told, cannot possibly be told by commissioned
General of the army writing to the head of
the Department of War, that head being the
very man whose hand has been weighing for
evil upon him and upon his gallant troops for
so many weary and worse than wasted months
OF what still remains 10 be made known we
shall here and now say nothing We shall
even refrain from commenting upon the mar
rative which has been made public, and con.
fine ourselves to the simple duty of stating, in
a brief synoptical form. what 1t is that Gen.
Mcclellan tells us of the annals of this mighty
war.
The Generals report, when we consider
that it embraces the history of nearly sixteen
months, crowded with events, is singularly
brief and condensed. Ittakes up the story of
his connection with the army at his arrival in
Washington after the first disaster of Bull
Run, and passes on through the whole period
of the organization of the Army of the Poto-
mac; through the preparations made in the
winter of 1862 for the invasion of Virginia
through the movement against Richmond, by
the way of Yorktown and the Peninsula; ;
through the 6ercely contested battles of the
seven days; and through the short but splen-
did campaign of Maryland, down to the sur
render by the General who had formed and
developed, and disciplined, and saved the
finest army in the Republic, of his baton of
command on wild November night in the
camp at Warrenton, in Virginia.
The report is dated at New York, August
4, 1868. and is addressed to Brig General
Thomas, Adjutant General of the United
States Army. 1t is accompanied by the re-
ports of corps, division and subordinate COM
manders and by many illustrated documents,
such as maps, charts and the like.
Passing briefly over his brilliant campaign
in Western Virginia, with the statement that
he was preparing for campaign in the Upper
Kanawha Valley when he learned at Beverly
of the disaster of Bull Run, Gen. McClellen
observes that he had received no notification
of the movements of the eastern army, and
was not therefore prepared to cooperate with
it. Late on Sunday the fatal 21st of July, an
order came. from Washington, directing him
to move into Eastern Virginia-without, how
ever, informing him of the vital fact that
Gen. Patterson had been unable to prevent
the junction of Johnston with Beauregard.
He was preparing to obey this blind and
tardy order, when, on the 22d, there came
another requiring him to turn over his COM
mand to Gen. Rosecrans, and to repair in
person to Washington.
Leaving specific directions as to the fortif-
cation Of the most important points then held
by rs in Western Virginia, Gen. Mcclellan
on the 23d set out for the capital. and, on the
9th, assumed command of the division of
the Potomac"
He found this army-to which was assigned
the double duty OF protecting Washington
and of threatening Richmond, neither capable
of threatening others nor protecting ITSELF
The extent of the resources of the South for
resistance had been most imperfectly appreci-
ated. and it was necessary at once to alarm
and TO encourage the official mind.
GEN. M'cLELLAN,s SCHEME OF CAMPAIGN
IN AUGUST, 1861.
On the 4lh of August, 1861, the new gen.
eral laid before the President his scheme of
the war.
In this scheme, it was laid down that our
best, if not only hope of speedy and lasting
peace, lay in convincing the disloyal popula-
tions, at the outset of hostilities, that resist
ance to the government must prove impracti-
cable.
1t was pointed out that our reverses at Bull
Run had made this task at once more impera-
tive and more difficult, since they had en-
boldened our enemy and injured our own
prestige both at home and abroad.
Virginia having been made the battle field,
it became necessary to fight there; but, in
order TO success in the campaign against
Virginia, General Mcclellan pointed out the
necessity of opening the Mississippi, of pacify-
ing Missouri, and of advancing through Ken
lucky into Eastern Tennessee for the purpose
at once of assisting the Union men of that re-
gion and of sezing the railways leading from
the Mississippi to the East
The impo. tancc of availng ourselves as far
as possible of every case of water transporta-
ton, was strongly urged, as well as of naval
diversions against the leading cities of the
southern coast. The importance of these
POINTS was shown TO be much enhanced by
the existence OF the great railway system OF
the South, which would enable the enemy
to concentrate rapidly upon interior lines and
the inference was drawn that the operations
of the main army ought to be strictly con-
nected with all subsidiary operations wherever
undertaken.
One of the subsidiary operations through
Nebraska and Kansas into Western Texas, in
connection with movement to the same end
from the Pacific through Arizona and New
Mexico, was specially designated for its inn
portance in political as well as in military
sense, and it was suggested with far-reaching
sagacity that an intimate alliance with Mex
leo might be effected which would materially
facilitate the results of such combined move
ment.
To effect these grand objects General Nc
Clelan estimated would require an army OF
about 600 men, to be thus distributed:
Main army -...-.-.....--....... -. .273 600
DE ense Of W ashustoB. ................ 10000
Western advance kentuekr being loyai) 20 600
Lane of Potomac -..-............... 10 .O0O
Bsltimore and Fortress Monroe. ..... 5000
Total ....--............... .33l .O0O