Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-12-01
General Mcdowell on the Cam
Paigns OF the Army OF the Pe-
t0maC. ''


hAjor-General Irwin Mcdowell made a
speech in Sau Francisco on the 2lst Of Ooto-
ber in which he said:
Itwss on the 10th Of January, 1859, that,
being at dinner at Arlington, L received .
telegram, and soon after a confidential note,
saying the President wished 10 soc me. /
went to the White House and was ushcred
into the Northeast room, where found TIE
President and General Franklin. The Prsyi.
dent appearing to be greatly depressed in
consequence ofkhc desperate condition OF the
national afairs-with an exhausted treasury
the feeling Of hostility of foreign nations
the frightful. CONDITION Of ths national
finsnccs-Jacobins 10 Congress want of
cooperation between the leading generals OF
the army-Buell aud Halleck correspond
/ ing direct with Washington, would have no
correspondence With esch. other-7and worse
than all, the sickness of Cen Mcclellan,
and the loug inaction of the Army of the
| Potomac, be said IF something is not
done soon with the army to save the coun-
! try, the whole bottom of things will fall
ogt Loud cheers aud laughter. If Gen.
/ Mcclellan don intend to do something with
! the Army OF the Potomac, | should Ike TO
1 borrow it for while, provided can see it
can be made to do something" Cheers
| The President was most anxious that some.
thing should be done. tChears 1t is un-
necessary to enter into details of this con-
versatlon. In reference to tho movement
OF the army, | favored it geiag out from
| Alexandra Gen. Franklin was in favor of
] its going by the way of York river. We
bad four or i've interviews on this subject
! with the President, and we're ordered by him
to obtain all possible information from the
officers OF the staff, go as to be able to knew
whether anything could be done whether
the Army of the Potomac could be brought
into the field against the enemy. On the
10Th of January, the President, in person,
went to the headquarters of Gen Mcclellan,
but could not see him. Secretary Seward
also went to MoClsllan's headquarters, but
was also refused an audience because Nc
Clellan was Sc very sick that he could not
be disturbed. But it is something singular
that 10 this desperate sickness Mcclellan
was not attended by a single member of the
! army medical staff. Gen. McClellan's Chief
Of Staff was sick aud absent. Here Nc
Ciellan was so sick as to be unable to give
information as to the strength and position
Of the enemy, or of the plans of bis own
army. Yet if you look to his oEu report OF
the war as published, ysu will find that he
stated there that on the 7th OF January he
was writing important dispatches to Gen.
1 Burn,lde-on the 7th, the very time when
be could not be seen by the President him
self. But to show the nature of this sick
ness Of Gen. Mcclellan, | was assured by a
gentleman OF the most undoubted veracity,
that at the very time he refused an inter
view with the President to consult on the
safety of the country, be admitted private
citizen-not direct but through the inau-
ence of the reporter Of the New York
Herald. Cheels. At the end of two or
three days, Mcclellan having got well, the
President informed US that, as he would
take charge of the army, he would dispense
with further proceedings with US, but wish
ed Gen. Franklin and myself to meet him
again, with Gen. Mcclellan. At this meet
bad consulted with Gen. Franklin AID my
self, going ever much the same ground he
bad already done with US. Gen. Mcclellan
! said tho case was SO plain that blind man
could see it.
At this subsequent meeting, when Mo
Clellan, the President, Gen. Franklin, my
self and several members of the Cabinet
were present, the subject Of the plans for
/ conducting the campaign was brought up
A dneInber Of the Cabinet asked Mcclellan
what he intended to do with the army. and
when he intended doing it. After making
very long pause, he stated that he was
very much aver.s to making his plans
known, but would do it if ordered by the
President; but stated that any movement
of the Army of the Potomac must be pre-
coded BY Buoll's army in Kentucky, which
was to move through Cumberland Gap to
Knoxville, to cut off railroad communica-
tions And this by this badly supplied ar
my ever two States, Kentucky and 'Tennes-
see, whilst he on subsequent occasion, at
/ or near Harper's Ferry, declared himself
unable to, move his fns army over the best
road more than twenty-five miles from
tho terminus of canal or railroad. Ap-
plause. '..-ts.tf
January and part of February having
passed by without anything being attempt
ed by the Army of the Potomac, the
4 twelve generals of division we're called to-
gsther 10 council at McClsllan's headquar.
J submitted to the President. Isfound that
the question was to be determined on per-
sonal grounds, not on the merits of the case
I knew nothing of political caucuses, but
the actisn then appeared very like what
suppose them to be. The generals were
talking together in knots, and trying to
hsrmnnize their views Gen. Mcclellan
ca,aein and submitted his plan, which was
to leave the enemy where he was, and fight
him where he was not; to embark his army
at Annapolis aHd go sroundand up the Rap
pabanHeck to the rear of, the enemy. and
thencs into Richmond, before he coald move
his army back to its defense by direct rail-
read communication. This it was proposed
1 to DO in one week., when sftervards No
Clellan averred, in reply to Halleck's stT'ic-
lures on account of tardiness in coming to
re-enforcs Pope, that it took him three
/ weeks to embark his army at Alsxandria.
Yet this magnificent scheme involved the
einbarkation of large portion Of the army,
A with its batteries, cavalry horses, forage,
munitions, siege guns. ,commissary stores,
ammunition, eto,, and transportation Of the
d sa me by water, and land marches to the
gates Of Richmond, :Four of us. opposed
the scheme. protested against it.. Our
place was to 20 direct to the enemy by the
shortest route. The majority carried, and
then proposed in the usual manner with
politics, to make it unanimous. Laushtsr.
n | refused to sanction such course. We
went to the President in body. He said
he was glad to see us, for, as he remsrked
Napoleon could not stand stil with such
an army. don't care, gentlemen, what
4 L. Il