Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-10-20
MoCLELLAN'S TREASON.
How he Left Pope to Get out
H ofhis 'Scrape. /" 'a
How he TrNle d, and even
pisobeyed Orders to
Reinforce Pope.
His Apparent Determine
ton to Sacrifice Pope's
Army, to Crafty his
.- own Spite.
Army Core spondent. Of fhe N V lima.

h'"y Notfesponoent.ot the ~. Y. Dmest
The order for the withdrawal of the
army from the Peninsula was given by
General Halleck, on the Sd day of Au-
gust. The point to which it was. or
dered was Aqua Creek, for the pur-
pose of making a junction with the
forces under Pope, on the Rappahan-
mock. 1t is hardly necessary to say
that after this course was determined
upon the utmost possible promptitude
in execution of the design was abso-
lutely necessary, for there could he no
doubt that the purpose of the Rebels
looking toward movement on Wash
ington would receive the most powerful
stimulus by the knowledge of the with
drawal of the army from the Peninsula.
But instead of this, we find General
Mcclellan sitting down to expostula-
ton, and after he had exhausted this,
we see him throwing every practical
obstacle in the way of getting the army
back. He urges "Me terribly depressing
effect on MeNorh and the strong prob
ability that 1t would induce foreign
powers to recognize our adversaries, "
whereas the fact is, there was hardly
an intelligent man in the North who
was not looking with the, most intense
anxiety to the removal of the army to
q position where it could beinterposetf
between the enemy and the menaced
Capital of the nation. He promises,
however, II his counsel does not pre-
vail, to "obey with a sad heart. T" ~
This "sadness" Of his heart seems
to have so .enfeebled his Aand, that,
though he was ordered to commence
the removal of the army ON the Sd of
August, day after day passed before
anything was done toward it. at is
believed" writes General Halleck to
him, under date of the 5th, "that it
the removal can be done now with
out serious danger. This may not be
so should there be any delay" ...o
l. Finally, on the 10th, he received dis
patches which should have stirred the
most sluggish nature to activity: "They
are fighting General Pope 10. doy--there
must be no further delay in your move
ments; that which has already occurred
Tds unexpected. and must be satisfactorily
explained." This only gives Nice Clellan
an opportunity to show the enormous
inherent difficulties of the movement
difficulties which were pointed out
to him before he started to take the
army to the Peninsula, but which he
then mode light of-and he ends by ad-
ding: at is not possible for any one
to place this army where you want it
in less than a month if Washington is
in danger now, this army can scarce!y
arrive in time to sape a." What a cheer
ing person General Mcclellan is!
Without following these transactions
through all their inaddening details,
suffice it to say that it was on the 20th
of the inonth-serenteen days after the
order for withdrawal was given--be-
fore the army was ready to embark at
Yorktown, Fortress Monroe and New
port News. And with this I leave it.
to find it turning up again at AIexan-
dria, where shall have to review Sc
ries Of events the most extraordinary,
perhaps, in General McClellan's extra
ordinary career. ......
The whole Rebel army was now
marching Northward to overwhelm
Pope and precipitate itself on Wash
ington. If General McClellan's own
estimate Of the Rebel force, at 200, 900,
was correct, Pope had upon him force
six times his strength, and, as it was,
he certainly had upon him a force three
or four times his strength. His in
structions were to "stand fast" on the
Rappahannock--to eight like the devil
and contest every inch of ground. y
In this task, he was cheered by the an
nouncement that from Alexandria he
would speedily receive heavy reinforce
ments, among which was the corps OF
Franklin, which he designed to move
to Gainesville, a position which cover
ed Manassas Junction, and watched the
gaps in the Piedmont Ridge. ....r
With view of giving effect to this
purpose, General Halleck, on the morn
ing of the 9th Of August, telegraphed
to Mcclellan, who had arrived at Alex
andria the day before, and through
whom all reinforcements to Pope must
pass, that Franklin's corps should
1 oiSu Ill 1uc utToCtfOn Vi manassas as
soon as possible. Had this order
been obeyed, Jackson's forces, defeated
and driven by Pope on the 9th, would
have been met near Centreville the next
afternoon and crushed.
Now 1 ask of the reader to bring all
the patience he can command, while /
show with what fertility Of device and
what prodigality of ingenuity General
Mcclellan contrived so to arrange
things that Pope should not get man
Of these reinforcements but should be
left with his feeble force of less than
forty thousand men to q death grapple
with the enemy that had lately defeated
McClellan's once splendid army of one
hundred and fifty thousand men: in
other words, should he left to- use
Gen. McClellan's own choice phraseol.
ogy--"gsi out Of has seraps" And
shall show that so completely success
full was he that not single man ever
reached Pope after Nc Cisitan arrived al
AIsxandria ~ ''n sf'. }9rie& =
In this expose I shall take up events
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