The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-10-20

quietly moved out Of the way, and left
Yorktown. Voice. "lle didn't know
it till six hours after"] No, and he
never would have known it if be had
been left to find it out himself; he
never went near enough. Applause I
Hooker had begged again and again
to attack the enemy. But no. Nc
Clellan was an engineer. He under
stood n scigc. He had seen Il seige in
the Crime0, and hc was bound to have
a seige, if he had it in frog pond.
THE BATTLE OF WILLIAMSBURG.
Well then came the battle Ct Williams
burg. Mcclellan wasn't there, and in
that "splendidly organized army"
there were such dlsputing about scni-
ority and precedence and right to com
mand, and things got so mixed. that
the battle was almost lost. So testify
Hooker, Sumner and Kearney. But
we won 1he fight, and even without a
commander-in-cbicf, we fought them
all day, and whipped them as usual,
for our boys will whip anything in the
world if properly led. Applause. l.
But Mcclellan was back at Yorktown,
and the Generals sent back for him to
bring order ont Of confusion General
/ Sprague came back for him through
miro up to his horses belly. He found
him under n shed at Yorktown-but
he didn't want to come, for he was
afraid the rain would hurt his trap
pings. lie said to Sprague-these are
his very words: II should think the
Generals could take care of u little
matter like that" At night however,
just as the army had won the day, he
got there. The enemy were all in con-
fusion, and Hooker and others testify
on oath that Richmond could have
been taken by vigorous effort. But
though not there in time to win the
battle, he did get there in time to or
der halt! And then while he waited
the enemy began to concentrate and
fortify Richmond, which had meyer
been half defended before.
FAIR OAKS AND SEVEN PINES.
When Mcclellan got to the Chica-
hominy he divided his army, putting
half on one side the Chicahominy and
half on the other A food came, and
the two wings of the army were sepa-
rated. The enemy assailed the balf
beyond the Chicahominy and over
powered it, in spite Of glorious bravery.
But the next day General Sumner,
without waiting for orders hurried his
men across the ChicahomiAy to the as
sistancc of the rest. They fought the
battle Of Seven Pines and then, as ever
when they had any chance, our boys
were gloriously triumphant. The
brave Hooker was in front, rs he al
ways is, and the enemy flying confu-
scdly before him like sheep before
dogs. We were within four miles of
Richmond. But Mcclellan came up
again just in time to call halt. Our
officers were swearing and our men
cursing, Hooker begging to make the
attack and the people of Richmond
packing up to depart And still VIC
batcd and threw up embankments big
enough for any railway.
And now, with Jackson with a pow
erful force in Western Virginia, Nc
Clellan stopped and commenced howl
p ing for moro troops. But if we had
given him more, Washington would
have been lost. And ify you had given
him all the armies in the world, you
couldn't have whipped hlm into Rich.
mond. Applause. Voice,-"He was
good on the retreat."] No, not SC
good on the retreat either--he retreat
: cd too fast Applause. make The
charge without fear of contradiction
that Mcclellan, in his whole military
career, was never under fire. Why he
believed In long range guns-gun'
that could carry seven or eight miles
; and he took precious good care to keeT
out of their way. The young Napole
on never crossed the bridge of Lodi
[Applause.
Immediately after the battle O
Gaines Mills, which, by some ineXpli
cable blunder, was fought by one corp
only, in tho immediate vicinity of three
or four others, Colonel Alexander tes
= lifics that he visited Mcclellan in hi
tent and that the latter was so dis
!, heartcncd by the events Of the day tha
Il he had orders drawn up directing ev
cry man to destroy all ho had, ant
i save himself as well as he could. Thu
y our gloriously equipped army of
u hundred thousand men was in immi
nent peril of being destroyed by tn
cowardco of their commander. S
Col Alexander testlies, and | woul
n believe him against any Copperhea
U on earth,
THE RETREAT.
0 Then came the attack of the enemy
Q They fell upon us in force, and ou
G scattered forces being overpowcreC
l. were ordered to retreat to the Jane
II River General Mcclellan was i
70 the advance, that is Of the retreatin
Q columns. Running away he was j
|. front. TLaughter. Men never fougf
, more bravely in Gods world tha
o our on-hearted soldiery in that rc
n treat. Among unequalled privatior
d and fortitude, they reached the ban
- of the James River. There true Gel