New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1864-10-14

which had reached Washington from
the Fest after General Mcclellan left
on his pen,nsular campaign, in all not
much short of 100000 men!
It was on the 3D. Of July, that the
last Of the army Of the Potomac reach
cd Harrison's Landing, and it was no;
until the Sd Of August that Gen Nc.
Clellan, Notwithstanding his srg ent ap-
peals, could find out what was to be
dcne with it. On the latter day, he
was informed by General Halleck, who
had been made General.iu-C Chef, that
1t was determined to withdraw his ar
tny from the Peninsula to Aqua
Greek. General Me- Clellan remonstra-
ted with all his powers of language
against this step; but the authorities
at Washington were inAexible. 1t
was not however, until tho 10Th Of Au-
gust that the last of the men and ma
terials could be removed from Harri-
sons Landing.
Thus was more than q month was
lost by the indecision Of tho anthori-
ties at W ashington. For this delay
General Mcclellan was not in the least
responsible. He frequently asked for
the decision Of the Government In Ian
guage like the following. In = mos
sage dated the 18th July, he said
Gam 40 xious to have determination
of Government that no time may be
lost preparing for it. Hours sro very
precious row and perfect unity Of act
ion necessary"
In another message dated the s0th
Of July he said:
II hope that it may soon be decided
what is to be done BY the army, and
that the decision may be to reinforce
it at once. We are losing much valua-
bic time, and that at moment when
energy and decision are badly needed
Thus, not from any fault of Gen, Nc
Clsllan, but through want of decision
at Washington, an army of eighty to
ninety thousand men was rendered per-
fectly uslcss for nearly six weeks.
In the mean time, the Presidents
plan Of advancing upon Richmond by
land appears to have been resumed.
A new army called the army Of Vir-
ginia was organized. composed Of the
remnants of McDowells corps, Fre-
mont's army and the troops about
Washington, and Gen. Pope was pl.c-
ed in command. 1t WAS = portion Of
this new plan of campaign that the ar-
my of the Potom.c should be merged
in this new army, and that Genera!
Mcclellan should thus be deprived of
his command with out being directly
dismissed. 1t was in pursuance Of
this scheme that, after months ap-
parent hesitation, the Army Of the Po-
,omac was ordered from Harrison's
Landing to Aqua Greek.
AS soon as the rebel leaders perceiv-
ed that they we're no longer to be seri
ossly injured near Richmond, they re-
solved to carry war into the loyal
States and advanced with their main
army towards Washington. Had the
decision to reinforce the army Of Vir-
ginia with the Army Of tho Potomac
been announced two weeks sooner, as
it might have been, the junction would
have been formed before the rebel ar
my could reach the Union lines and
Lee would have found himself confron-
ted by superior force. But tho de-
lay of the government to give the or
der enabled him to fall upon the army
Of Virgins before the reinforcemsnts
from the Army of the Potomac could
be gotten into position, and the dis
aster to Pops's army was as much st-
trlbutable to this mismanagement at
Washington a. to tho insompetency Of
of its commander. -
Whom the consequences Of the delay
to give the order for the transfer Of the
Army of the Potomac began to devsl-
op themselves, the authorities at Wash
ington most uJustly attempted to fix
the responsibility or Gen. Mcclellan.