The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-05-07
MCCLELLAN LINCOLN AND STAN.
TON.

The Inner History of the Peninsula
Campaign. How McClellan's
Campaign Was Forced Into
Disaster.
Gen. VIM. b. Franklin in Philadelphia
Weekly Times.
On the 9th oil March was ordered to
repair TO headquarters. Assembled
there were the general .in-chief, the chief
engineer of the army OF the Potomac,
and all OF the division commanders ex-
cept General Hooker, who was repre-
sented by General Naglee. General
Mcclellan submitted to US his plan for
the movement of the army, and then
left us to ourselves Upon the questio n
of approval to his plan the vote was, 1
think, nine for approval to three
against 1t, although it has been reported
rs eight to four. The numbers are not
material, as the main object of the meet
ing was to obtain q condemnation of the
plan by the subordinate generals. I'm.
mediately after this meeting we were In
formed that the President wished to see
US. We went to the White House, ana
found there the President and the Secre.
tsry of War. They knew the result of
our meeting. Each one of US was asked
in turn by the Secretary Of War our
opinion of the time required to transfer
the army to its new base. The general
opinion was that month would be re-
ouired, and each was asked by the Secre-
tary whether he WAS willing to have
this suffering country wait month
longer before blow was inflicted upon
the enemy. We were tsen asked in turn
whether we thought the army ought to
be organized into army corps or not
We unanimously answered that we
thought it ought to be so organized. The
President then informed us That he de-
ferred his opinion as to the proper
method OF moving the army to ours. he
asked us to use all our energies to help
the country out OF Its great dangers, and
ended by saying to us; If you are
faithful to me, |, on my part, will be
faithful to syou" He then said he
that should form the Army of the
Potomac into four army corps, and
knowing but little of the capacities ofthe
generals suitable for the commands OF
these corps, should assign the commands
according to rank. The meeting was
then dismissed.
General johnson having evacuated
his position at CenLrevilie on the Stu OF
| March, the army was Immediately
moved to Fairfax Court House. Here
the assignment to corps were made, and
| nv division was assigned to General Nc
Dowelrs corps. Shortly afterward, about
the middle OF March, we returned to u
| position in front of Alexandria to await
transportation. 1t was determined that
the bulk of the army should be landed at
Fortress Monroe, and move up the PENN
suls between the York and James rivers,
and that General McDowells
corps should land on the north side
| OF the YORK river. This arrangement re-
quired tibet Gen McDowell's corps should
move last, and General Mcclellan, with
his headquarters, left Alexandria on
April l, he supposing that nothing could
occur to change that arrangement. On
the Sd of April, WAS ordered to EN-
bark my DIVISION About II o'clock in
the evening l received orders to move
part of the division on the next day, and
TO call al headquarters for further In
structious. Going At once TO the war
Department found General Mcdowell
and General Wadsworth there. Gen.
eral Mcdowell informed me that the
Secretary of War had told him about an
hour before that General Mcclellan
intended to work bv strategy and not
ftghting. and that he should not have
another man from his department,
thst all of the enemies of the
administration centred around him, and
the Secretary accused him Of having
noliticsl aspirations. Also that he had
not lett the number of troops to defend
Washington that the President required
- in other words, that he had disooeyeo
the Presidents orders. General Nc
Dowell demonstrated against the step
which was about to be taken, arguing
that if General Mcclellan had political
aspirations they would be forwarded by
the very course which the admlnistra,
ton was taking IN this case. lie used
all OF the arguments which he could
bring to bear to convince the Score
tary tnaI no
mistake in ordering the detachment
of his corps. The result WAS, Genera
NcDowelrs corps was detached
from the army of the Potomac, and wa
marched to Cstlett's station on the Or
.rge and Alexandria railroad, where i
could do no possible good General Nc
Cl-llsn's plan Of turning Yorktown by
the movement of McDoweIls corps or
Tho north bank OF the York river WA
utterly DESTROYED. The army OF the 70
tomsc was forced to stay whole month
ON the Peninsula uselessly, and the cap
,nre of Richmond, which in all human
probability would have been made IN thu
month of May, had General Mcclellan
Man been carried out was deferred tol
three years.
o-;me of the war. A general had beer
cont from Washington Ill command o
fonr army corps on the most importsn
Command possible. Before he had beer
absent torty-eis ht hours, his largest corps
com handed by his second In command
Containing more than one fourth et hi
army, detailed for duty which wasVits
10 the success of his campaign, was de
,-ched from his command, without con
shelton with him and without nj
trawIedge. do not known Whethe
ths nerpetrstors o, this crime were pun
;shod for It in this lite, but The ghastlI
anonnnt of bloodshed in Virginia for tn
next three years shows that the innocen
country was punished, in way tha
will be- remembered by widows an'
orphans for generation.