Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1864-10-19
The Seven Days Battles.

Tribune, and who is at this time in the EN-
ploy of the Administration.
On THE March THROUGH THE
WHITE OAK SWAMI, June 58, 1868 {
Out-numbered and surrounded, liable at
any moment TO be cut of from our base Of
supplies, and to have our possession of the
York River Railroad wrenched from our
grasp, Mcclellan came out at starrising from
the fight in which he had shared the periIs Of
the common soldier, with a Nepoleonio con
eeption Of the only salvation for his army
from annihilation by FIRE, or loss by capture
He ordered new roads to be instantly cut
through the swamp that separates Us from
the Charles City highway, and communicated
to his Generals his purpose to change his
base by a rapid movement to the James Riv-
er.
We march now through White Oak Swamp
to change in twelve hours time the base Of
the great army-doomed where it was, and
having now but little grace Of delay accorded
to it by an active and brave enemy; numer-
Gus enough to encircle US at any. point and to
outnu1iber us at all. The movement is bold,
soldier ike and brilliant, but eminendy haz-
ardous. 1t was made by the light of the
burning Of every one Of the bridges which we
had 50 painfully thrown over the Chicahom-
my, and within bearing af the destruction, by
our hands, of the railroad which gave US sup
plies and was to secure US retreat. The move
ment viii probably be successful. though its
trial viii be bloody The world will regard
it as a mastery stroke of genius. The army
will 50 regard it, and feel for its commander
the admiration and gratitude that saviors Of
men ever enkindle in loyal hearts.
But the brilIianoy of this movement viii
pot for an instant dazzle the eyes of the
wronged and wrathful men of the Army Of
the Potomac, nor will it dazzle the sight Of
the angry people so far as for a moment to
obscure their perception of the crimes against
the nation, 1chicb has made he change Of base
necessary. TIE CRIME is THE REFUSAL TO REIN
FORCE McCLELLAN, l don't care about the
question-which legislators, soldiers and poll
ticans have debated of this Generals fitness
to command, the York and James River Pc
niu~ula was not the place for that discussion.
the hour Of the junction of Beauregard' S and
Jacksou's forces to those Of johnson is not
the time for debate. I care not for any crit
icism Of Gen. McClellan's campaign on this
Peninsula or on the Potomac 1 have blows.
but not a word for the untimely casuist, in or
out of the administrative Office, who, under
the roar Of the rebel cannon, sweeping cur
ranks with shot aud SHE'LL meets the demand
for aid to this army with a chronological
measure of delays at Fortress Monroe, at
Yorktown, at Will msburg, at Seven Pre-
I don't care whether they were delays or no |
delays-or whether they were McClellan's
delays; the Quarter-masters delays or the
delays of the elementsl
No man, no narty, no interest, shall with |
my consent or my silence, be permitted to
mix up with the sacred right of an outnum-
bered American orny to demand help from
their countryman and to promptly receive il, !
collateral questions Of fitness, of vigor, of f
deity. When loyal New York regiments, !
lifted from their feet by the FIRE olrebel bri- |
gades, cry out OF their wounds and death for
help-when the choicest Of New England, !
and Michigan, and Pennsylvania troops, out
numbered in front, on both tanks, and by /
whole divisions of the enemy, beg for rein
iorcemeDts, I say that the blacklist crime that
Power can commit is to stop upon the field |
and say: Soldiers, I have no faith in your
commander; let your martyrdom proceed
And so SAYS the Army of the Potomrc. And
it registers tonight vows of vengeance as it |
marches in the dark from position which
their diminished numbers disabled from the
holding, but which consecratedto them forev-
er by their sufForings, their labors and their
wrongs. The politicians and statesmen who
lehus here 10 be cut numbered and cutoff rom
our supplies and the possibility of retreat and
doomed men. T. w.
Mr.. Wilkinson is still in the active service
of the Administration, but he has never yet
uttered word to qulaily or retract this de-
nunciation of the perpetrators of lie grossest
crime IN history. In the light Of the docu-
menrary narrative Of Mcclellan, for nearly
two years suppressed, but now at last dragged
out Of the pigeon holes of the war Office, ev-
cry syllable the Tribune correspondent says
is substantially fact, and his Indictment ofthe
is, to-day, unanswered and
It seemed almost impossible
to believe that men could be so beartless, so
cruelty partisan as to plot for the defeat Of
an army upon whose fate depended the coun-
try's life, bat who DOUBTS now that such was
the fact?