Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-02

scheme OF the War; Geueral's
Letters TO the Presidents. Secretary
OF WAR and military Commander
The virginia, PeniBsuiar. aud Wa.
rytand Campaign>-How the Army
OF the Potomac Fought and how its
sacrifices were hewarded in wash
ington-Gen. ucCIeiian's Tribute To
his soldiers.
I'VE are indebted to the New York World
for the following synopsis of Gen. McClcllan'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. Mcclellan is in truth
responsible only 50 far as concerns the saAa-
ton of an army imperilled by the reckless and
ignorant strategy of knot OF selfish politi-
clans, we say what the most passionate and
prcjudiced reader of these clear and quiet and
manly pages xill find it hard to gainSay, at
least In the secret of his own brain and heart.
The whole story, be IL 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 wastedmonths.
OF what still remains to be made known we
shall here and now say nothing We shall
even refrain from commenting upon the mar
ralve which has been made public, and con
fine ourselves 10 the simple duty of stating. in
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 sineularly
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 fercely 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 a 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. Ii is accompanied by the re-
ports of corps, division and subordinate COM
manders. and by many illustrated documents,
eI1..l n mans charts and the like.
Passing briefly over his brilliant campaign
in Western Virginia, with the statement that
he was preparing for a 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 2lst 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 orler. when, on the 22d, there came
another requiring him to turn over his COM
mind to Gen. RoSecrans, and TO repair in
person TO Washington.
cation OF the most important points then held
BY us in Western Virginia Gen Mcclellan
on the 2Sd set out for the capital, and, on the
9th, assumed command of the division OF
the Potomac"
lie found this army-to which was assigned
the double duty OF protecting Washington
and of threatening Richmond, neither capable
ot threatening others nor protecting itself.
The extent OF the resources of the South for
resistance had been most imperfectly appreci-
ated. and 1t was necessary at once to alarm
and TO encourage the official mind.
GEN. M'CLELLAN.s SCHEME OF CAMPAIGN
IN AUGUST, 1861.
On the 4th 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 a speedy and lasting
peace, Law in convincing the disloyal popula-
tons, at the outset OF hostilities. that resist
ance to the government must prove impracti-
cable
Ii was pointed out that our reverses at Bull
Run had made this task al once more impera-
tive and more difficult. since they had en-
boldened oar 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 pacift-
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 seizing the railways leading from
the Mississippi to the East.
The impo. tancc Of availing ourselves as tar
As possible OF every case of water tranSporta-
ton, wa strongly urged, as well as of naval
diversions against the leading cities OF the
southern coast. The Importance of these
POINTS shown to be much enhanced bv
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-
nec'ed with all subsidiary operations wherever
undertaken
One OF the subsidiary operations through
Nebraska and kansas into Western Texas. in
connection with a movement To the same end
from the Pacific through Arizona ard New
Mexico. was specially designated for It's I'M
portance IN a political well a. in a military
sense. and il was suggested with far-reaching
saeacity that an intimate alliance with Mex
leo might be effected which would materially
facilitate the results OF such combined move