Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-03-14
HEADQUARTERS OF THE Army,


ADJUTANr GENERALS OFFICE,
WAsHINGroS, Sept. 2. 1862
By direction of The President, Major General
Mcclellan will have command of the fort6ca- !
tons of w ashiDgton and of all the troops for the
defence of the capital.
By order of the Secretary of War.
E. ID. TOWNSEND, A. A. Gen.
But this order seems to have raised storm
among the radicals which neither the President
nor the Secretary of War cared to face Can it
be possible that at this moment, when the fate of
the nation trembling in the balance, such
consideration as political capital controlled the
movements of the highest officialsr
1t would seem so, for the order re-pub-
lished in an amended form, suppressing the
names of the President and Secretary of War,
and so far relieving them from any apparent con
necton with the restoration of Mcclellan to the
command. On the Sd Of September a dispatch
came from Washington stating that the order
should read as follows:
| WAR DEPARTMENT,
ADJUTAyT GENERALS OFFICE.
Washington, Sept. 2. 1867
Major General Mcclellan will have command
of the Notifications of Washington, and of all
the troops, for the defence of the capital. By
command of Maj. Gen. HALLECK.
E. d. TOWNSEND, A. A. g.
Can any one assign sensible reason for this
|
suppress the names of the President and Secre
tary of War in connection with it, for the sake
of preserving favor with the radical enemies of
| McClelanl
Why was the original order couched in such
dubious languagel Every one remembers that
il was not till explained by telegraph that the
people even understood that Mcclellan was in
command of the whole Army of the Potomac.
| Ii was undoubtedly ingeniously worded to avoid
the storm of radical Indignation which was an
ticipated Instead of a frank, noble order, ex
/ pressing clearly the duties of the General upon
whom the very destiny Of the Republic was that
day rep0sed, we have this ingenious phraseology
sent forth to the nation, deceive thsm into the
idea that Mcclellan was only placed in command
Of the forts So the radical papers declared at
the time 1t was only General Halecks order.
placing Mcclellan in the forti6cations-jpst the
work he was suited for
/ But mark the astounding truth now first made
plain and public, though our readers will remem-
Der that we long ago inferred il from other facts.
Under that order, iDgeniously worded, and under
no other order word of commlpd from Presi
dent. Secretary of War.,or Gen. Hallack, bear
| ing no authority but that which this tricked-up
form of words doubtfully gave him, General
Mcclellan led the army into Maryland and
gained the victories Of South Mountain and An
| tetam Halleck, il will be borne in mind. ex-
pressly tells Mcclellan, in his dispatch of Octo-
| Der ooh 1868: "Since YOU left Washington.
have given you no orders. Neither had
any one else, up to the close of Antietam /"
/ The simple truth was that Mcclellan, the only
man in Washington fit for the occasion. AS the
inacton of every else abuudanty confesseS.
having been charged with the defence of the
capital, mounted his horse when he thought the
time proper one. and went into the field to vic
tory and the salvation Of the capital of the ma
ton President. Secretary of War. Hallack. all
were so paralyzed far as anything they said or
did remains to Indicate They looked idly on
while Mcclellan saved them and the country
Halleck indeed sent grumbling thunder after him
over the wires. Thus on the 9Th of Sept Hal
leck telegraphs:
until we have better advices about the num-
bers of the enemy at Drainesville, think we
must be very cautious about stripping TOO much
the forts on the Virginia side"
Again the 18th he growls: ''You are wrong
in thus uncovering the capital" Again on the
l4th: Scouts report large force still on the
Virginia side Of the Potomac If so, I tear you
are exposing your left and rear" Again, on the
10th. at - o. p. N Halieck teIegraphs: II
think you will find that the whole force of the
enemy in your front has crossed the river | fear
now more than ever that they will recross at
Harper Ferry or below, and turn your left. thus
cutting You off from Washington
/ One can imagine the smile of Mcclellan az he
cannon on the evening of the l6th-the evening
before Antietam. Aud Halleck. after all these
daily fits of trernor and nervousness about Nc
! ClelIan's uncovering the captal-after dispatch
on dispatch. begging Mcclellan not to get so far
off from the capital and leave them TO the inva-
sion of the rebels; after discouraging every step
of McClelans advance in Maryland. up to the
hour Of the victory at Antietam. this same Gen
] eral Hal.eck complains Of the slow advance of
Mcclellan in Marylandl-taks about the aston.
ishng fact that he marched only few miles
dayi-and writes an Official report. assuming the
/ credit OF the campaign. saying that Mcclellan
was directed to pursue him (the enemy into
Maryland after Pope's defeat. year ago we
exposed the untruthfulness of this assumption.
Now it is proved untrue. No such direction was
given, but the Marylan campsigu stands ont as
the work Of Mcclellan, untrammeled only be-
cause the people in Washington we're so thor
oughly frightened that for once they permitted a
military man to conducs campaign on his own
plans. V@1 fF1F ~
But what is to be said of the treatment these
same men gave Mcclellan when he had relieved
them from their fright and saved the capital and
the nationf
History will doubtless End the truth about
these matters. Mcclellan will be honored by
the Femotest generations of Americans Silent
when III trea ed, swift when called to serve his
country firm, faithful true as steel. Trustworthy
always, he il to day nearer than any other man
TO him who was first in war. first in peace, and
first in the hearts Of his countrymen. Washing
ton for "A glorious memory; Mcclellan for Inv
ing LEADER NY Jour. of Com.
rttslI -------------> t1It -
Or wing6eld Of Portsmouth. Va. has been
sentenced, by command of Gen. Z A Wild. 70
sweep the streets Of Norfolk and Portsmouth for
fh~