The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-05-23

bly, say that General Meade was more emf
nen!ly qualified for the command he now
holds than Sherman. General Howe quail
iiRes this, however, by stating that, so far as
he has observed, the principal officers of
The Army Of the Potomac, including the
commanding General, are governed By
scmssympathy, feeling and consideration
which have been inf 5sed into the army by
bis commander during the Peninsula cam
Psigu.a rs 30 /
a General Birney, and many of the prinei-
pal officers, believed that General McClel-
Ian was the only General who should COM
Rsnd this army, although there is not as
much of that feeling now as formerly.
General Doubleday says that there has ST.
ways been great deal of favoritism IN the
army Of the Potomac No man who Is an
anti-slsvery man or snti-McClellan can
expect decent treatment in that army, IS
it is st present constituted. After the bat
tie Of Gettysburg the army was deprived
Of many Of its best commanders; General
Reynolds killed, Generals Sickles and
Hancock wounded, and General Meade
made commander of the army. Since that
time corps commanders have not been
equal to their positions, and conseqentIy
the army has been less effective in opers-
tiOns. li qt -sic r-s ru-
The Committee also give the results of
their Inquiries on the Rad river expedition,
saying In conclusion: Your Committee
would ststs that while the obi sct had in
view by General lHsIleck in urging this
expedition it was a military one, with the
expectation perhaps, of accomplishing
some important political result BY khe oe-
eupation ofsnne point in Texas.
General Banks commanding the expe-
ditiOn, appears to have had in view the
object of carrying out measures for
the establishment of 8 State Government
in Texas and sffording egress for cotton
and other products of that region. Many
witnesses express the opinion that the at
tention drawn solely to the accomplish
ment of these objects, a most unfavorsble
influence was exerted or the expedition
This expedition presents many remarks
ble features. Il was undertaken without
the direction of any one. So far as the
evidence shows, the authorities at Wash
ington did not furnish troops when the
Generel commanding the expedition con-
sidered it necessary to have them, but sug-
gested that they might be obtained as
mStter of favor from Grant, Sherman and
Steele, and it appears from the evidence
that General Sherman loaned for the ex-
pedition 10, 900 men for thirty days, uuder
GeneralA. J. Smith The only orders
emAnsting from Washington in relation
to- the expedition as developed by the
evidence, we're those of the President con
tsrad IN the permit which he gave to
Casey and Butler 70 go up Red River and
purchase cotton, in which he directs
officers of the army and navy to furnish
such sssistance as might be desirable. In
the absence OF all orders requiring this ex-
pedilion to be undertaken snd after the re-
fusaI Of ths authorities At Washington to
furnish the troops asked for, it was enter
ed upon by the commanding General as
shown by the evidence, against his jadg-
mont, and in the belief that it must neces-
sarily fail Il was prosecuted st sacrifice
Of life, properly and valuable time. After
development of facts that utterly pre-
eluded all hopes of success, it did not seek
to accomplish a definitely avowed militia
~ object AS military movement it
seems to have been conducted without any
capacity or discretion Its only results, in
addition to the disgrsceful military dis
order that attended the hsexpeditiOn were f
8 commercial and political character.
The. commercial transaction was conducted
by those who received, by authority of the
President, permits, as before stated, and,
in part, by spectators who, without any
authority, as far IS is shown by the evil
dsnce of commanding General, came up
on the headquarters boat of the army,
bringing with them bagging and rope for
the cotton they might secure. The politi-
cal transactions were shown by holding
off the elections in camps of the army
while engaged in an expedition with the
view of recognizing civil government in
Louisiana. The attempt to do this was
usurpstion on the part of the military
authorities, the execution of which was rs
weak and inefficient as the attempt was
improper and Illegal.
q The report was signed by B. F. Wade,
chairman, 2. Chandler, Geo. w. Julian,
and B. F, Loan.
D. w. ,Gooch difs,nts from the views of
the msjority, concluding his report as fol-
lows:
Whstsver may have been the feeling
between the armies and nsyiss in relation
to the seizure of cotton, on examination all
tha testimony will show that military OPP
erSiions were not delayed or interfered
with byaDy operations in cotton. delay
81 points where these operations were car
rled out. The delsys occurred through
other causes, during the expedition
Meetings were he'd at Alexandria and
Grand Ecore for the election of delegates
to the convention then about to meet for
81 --,s--ai-,- ~ .lfaiA GArrA-H-., Is,
Louisiana. It does not appear that any
officer or private, or any body connected
with the expedition, 10 any way intertered
with or participated in these elections, o.
that they csused the slightest delay to the
movements of the army of navy, or in
Rusnced or controlled the expedition in the
slightest degree.
The COMMITTEES, in their report on th'
Fort Fisher expedition say that, from al
the evidence bsfore them, the determins-
tion of General Butler not to assault tb,
fort seems 10 have been fully justified By
all the facts and circumstances then knowr
or afterwards sscertained.
i II Al,