The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-02-13

to his camp at Langley The fact tha
fGsn. stones troops were in action On tn
Virginia side was telegraphsd to Genera
Mcclellan on, the 2lst, and, reaching tn
| ground the next Gay, he learned the full
| extent OF the disaster which had followst
from this movement, and by 4 a. m. of th,
| Oath had caused the whole command t,
rccross the Potomac in safety.
Appointed to the command ofths Poto
mac Army, all Ges. McClellan's attempts
to get the army into the field in Virgins
had been defeated through variety o
causes enumerated by him On the Is
of November he was appointed to the chic
command Of all the forces of the Union
and at once began active operations a
The theatre OF the war had now ex.
tended about the whole circumference u
the South; and it became necessary, a.
well as practicable, to plan large anG
sweeping combination of military op
erations
An organization of New England troops
for occupying this coastJlns OF the South
on the Middle Atlantic, which had been
suggested by Gen. Mcclellan in Septem.
Der, 1861, took shape in January, 1862 as
an expedition under Gen Burnside de.
signed to facilitate the movement Of the
main body in Eastern Virginia by an occu
patton of the coas line of North Carolina,
Gen. Burnside being ordered when he
should have seized Newsern TO occupy
and destroy the Weldon and Wllmn gtou
Railroad as far west AS Goldsboro and.
should circumstances favor, 20 push as far
as Raleigh, Wilmington being, however,
his ultimate objective point Caution
about proclamation" was recommended,
the General being urged to say little as
possible about politics or the negro, and
10 state merely that the tru~ issue for
which ws are fighting is the preservation
Of the Union and upholdlng the laws of
the general government.
At tho sane time letters were sent to
Gen. Haileck (aplo."ted TO the com
maud Of the Department Of the Mis-ouris !
10 Gen. Buell. (Ia command of the Depart
HIegt OF the Onlo.) 10 gen Sherman (com-
luaniIng III South Carolina an. Georgia, J
and to Gen. Butler Commanding the De-
partnent Of the Gulf Gen Iialleck was
charged with the duty OF reducing chaos
to order Ia q department Ndlch had bssn
wonderfully nl.snana.-d IN respect 10
military operations he was cg.icred 20 hold
the STATE by fortified posts and concentrate
his force on the Mississippi in readine. for
ulterior operations.
Gen Buell. was instructed as 20 the vast
importance Of the military occupation Of
Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee. In
Kentucky itself he was advised the con
duct Of our political affairs Is perhaps
more iI.p9Itaat than that of our military
e-e-a:ions. 2ri he WAS urged t.
bear in m.nI tGst we shall most readily
suprres 'a.s rebellion and res.cr. the au-
tnor.ty OF tae government b. re.jgiSus'y
respecting ta- cons -titui!oa2! rights cf sil.
u accordance with thu feelings and
opinion Of the President n Mcclellan
-equested Gen. Buell. TO aas Ire the peo-
pie OF Kentucky that their domestic IN
stitutions viii IN no manner be iutcrferea
with. > and to allow nothing Iut he dc
tates Of military necessity 70 cause him 10
depart from the spirit Of his instruc.
ti0ns.
Ia respect to Tennessee, Gen. Dlel. vas
ordered 20 throw the mass Of MS troops
'by rapid marches, by Cumberland or
Walkers Gap. en- Knoxville. in order TO
occupy tins iaiIro,,l Al that point and
cut the Communication between Eastern
Virginia AMI the Mississippi
Cen BueN vas further counseled 10
avoid wienin, the breach existing be-
tween us and the rebels by 'causeleas ar
rests ana prosecutions OF individuals. i
have Away. found, ADDS Gen. Mcclellan.
that j. Is the tendency Of sus0rdinates to
make veXatIous arrests on mere suspicion.
Gen Sherman was advised that the IA
vorable moment for cgt7 de man against
Savannah had been lost, and that the
best course before him would De 10 isolate
and reduce Fort Pulaski But tie re
duction Of Charleston and its delences
was held up as the great moral a!yantag ge
10 be sought for, asd was stated 10 be an
object for which Gen. Mcclellan was ac-
lively maturing his combinations. Gen
Butler was Instructed as TO the obstacles
10 be encountered in reducing New Orlea IS
ard was ordered, as soon as possible after
the fall OF that city, to selze all the ap
eroaohes leading tc it from the east. and
particularly Jackson, in Mississippi, with
an ultimate view rs well to the capture OF
Mobile ss TO the opening Of the Mississippi
The Instructions thus issued TO the Gen
erals named comprehend the entire scope
Of the plans OF Gen. Mcclellan, of which
plans the movement OF the Army of the
Potomac under his own orders was the
central feature 1t was considered neces-
sary to the success OF these plans that they
should be carried out simultaneously. or
as nearly SO as possible, AMI the advance
of the Potomac army upon Richmond By
the lowsr Rapeshaanock<vas kept in hand
by hin, to he delivered as the decisive
blow in connection With all the rest of the
general movement.
THE PRESIDENT ASSUMES COMMAND.
On the 9th OF January, lS62, Presi1en
Lincoln, without consultation with Gen
Mcclellan, assumed command of all tht
armies prepared and preparing for these
general movements He issued on tina,
dav his War Order, No /, prescribing
that Oh the 22d of February, 1862 gen
eral movement of all the land and laval
forces of the United States should be
made against tie insurgeut forces
This order was followed four days later
by second order commanding the Army
OF the Potomac to occupy point south
westward of Manassas Junction
On the 9th of February Gen. Mcclellan
received note from the President, rea
soning with him on the choice be had
made of route to RichMond. Gen. Nc
Ciellan replied substantially, in a letterto
Secretary Stanton, reciting what had bees
done with the Army of the Potomac, ana
what remained to be done with that and
with all other armies Of the Republic
stating his reluctance to waste life in
useless battles ana his desire to strike
at the heart; and pointing out the mlitary
reasons for preferring the base of the Low
er Chesapeake to that of Washington for
operations against the army intrenched at
Manassas
"For many long months" hs said,
have labored to prepare the Army OF the
Potomac to play It's part in the program
me. hgve axsrted myself to place all the
other armies IN such condition that they,
too. could perform, their allotted duties. "
"I know." he concludes, that his Excel>
lency the President. you, and !, all agree
in our wishes, and that those wishes are to
bring this war TO a close as promptly as
the means in our power will permit |
believe that the mass of the people have
entire confidence in u.s. Let US then look