The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-01-21
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.
tcontinuesl from first mage,

"a AlNitA NJ I'LL lo1ONlf1Ss
continued from FIRST page,
I unfortunate for Mcclellan himself; for,
u several months afterwards, and just as
: he was about moving to the Peninsula.
g the PRESIDENT divided the Army OF the Pc
= tomac into four corps, and assigned to
y their command naa whom Gen. Mcclellan
!. would not have chosen; whereas, had he
j lcreated corps at 6sst, he might have made
!. his own selecton.@
II ORGANIZING. THE ARTILLERY.
1t next became necessary to create ade-
: Quate artillery and engineer establish
y ments, to OrgaAixe the cavalry arm, and to
} provide for the administrative service Of
= the Quartermaster, Ordnance, Commits
y sary, and Medical Departments.
The task OF forming an artillery estab-
lishment was facilitated by the fact that
{ the country possessed in the Regular SER
vice a body OF accomplished and energetic
artillery officers.W As basis Of organi-
cation it was decided to form field-bat-
teries OF six guns (never less than four
guns, and the guns of each battery to be
OF uniform caliber): Q0) and these were
assigned to divisions, not to brigades, in
the proportion OF four batteries to each
division; one Of which was to be bat
terry Of Regulars, and the Captain Of the
% Regular battery was in each case APP
pointed commandant OF the artillery Of
the division. In addition, 1t was determ-
ined to create an artillery reserve of a hun
drcd guns and a siege-train OF 80 pieces.
This work was pushed forward with so
q much energy, that whereas, when Gen.
Mcclellan took command of the army, the
entire artillery establishment consisted of
nine mperfectly-equipped batteries of 80
guns, before it took the field this service
had reached the colossal proportions of
92 batteries Of $40 guns, served by IL, 500
n men, and in full readiness for active field
duty. I'D
THE ENGINEER CORPS.
With equal energy the formation of the
= engineer establishment was entered upon;
and this included not only the training
OF engineer companies and the Corps of
Typographical Engineers, but the organ-
zation OF engineer and bridge-trains and
n eQuipage adequate for an army OF first
class proportions. At the same time, the
entire system OF the defenses Of Washing
ton, both for the northern and southern
side OF the Potomac, was planned and
carried into execution. Q2) Washington, in
fact, assumed the aspect OF q fortified
capital, with system Of defenses so for
midable that the enemy at no time through
n out the war attempted seriously to assail
that city.10
0 A GRAND ARMY EVOLVED.
;, Such is but faint setting forth of the
{ manifold activities evoked and directed
r towards the creation OF the Army of the
: Potomac by its new commander. 1t was
: season Of faithful, fruitful work, amid
!, which that army grew into shape and sub
] stance. And with such surprising energy
e was the work Of organization pushed for
ward, that whereas Gen. Mcclellan in
July came into command of collection OF
, raw, dispirited, and disorganized regi-
: ments without Comnissariat or Quarter
master Departments, and untitled either
r to march or fight, he had around him at
H. NJ Ahs1r A1x.s
, trained and disciplined, organized and
! equipped, animated by the highest spirit,
. and deserving the fond name Of The
Grand Army Of Che Potomac. And GER
t tainly, If there are portions OF McClel-
/; lan's subsequent military career that are
{, from all impartial minds the credit due
! this mighty performance. QD
II Looking at the work he then initiated,
in the only light in which we can rightly
J appreciate it's it stands related to what
went before, aid what came after tit
is manifest that what gives it significance
= lis that 1T represents science displacing
sciolism, the untutQred enthusiasm of a
Nation unused to war, taught by bitter
experience to yield itself to the cunning
: hand Of discipline-that power which Car
: not calls ''the glory OF the soldier and the
strength of Armies."(15) II the Army of
the Potomac afterwards performed deeds
worthy to live in history, II is in no small
degree due to the fact that the ground
work OF victory was laid deep and broad
, in that early period Of stern tutelage,
/ when it learnt the apprenticeship of war.
Ii other Generals, the successors OF Me-
Clellan, were able to achieve more decisive
I results than he, 1t was, again, in no small
degree, because they had ready to hand
the perfect instrument which he had fash
Toned. 90
L L.
a partisan OF Gen. Mcclellan, yet have
: often heard him say that it would have
been impossible for Gen. Mcclellan to
: have succeeded with such corps command
ers as he had on the Peninsula.
@ The duty OF organizing this arm was
!, Barry, Chief of Artillery.
QO 1T was decided TINT the proportion
of rifed guns should be one-tlird, and OF
smoothbores two-thirds-that the rified
guns should be restricted to the system OF
the United States Ordnance Department
and Of PARROT, and the smoothbores to
be exclusively the light 12-pounder or
Napoleon gun."-Barry: Report Of Artil-
, lery Operations, p. JOG.
QD Report OF the Engineer and Artil-
lery Operations of the Army OF the Po-
. tomac, PIP. 10000.
. cuted by Maj. afterwards Ma. GEM Bar
nard, Chief Engineer Of the Army OF the
Potomac.
II Q3) The theory OF the system of de-
lenses OF Washington is that upon which
t the works Of Torres Vedras were based
the occupation of commanding points
g within cannon-rapge Of each other by
field forts, the FIRE of which shall sweep
v all the approaches, a connection being
formed by infantry parapets easily impro-
= vised. The line, MS it encircles the Capital
on both sides Of the Potomac, has a de-
J velopment Of 33 miles. AS to the value
Of this system OF defenses for the safe
guard Of Washington, that is a vast, COM
It pick, and difficult question, not to be en-
tered on here. It has been very severely
O | crificzad nv C0l. Iecomto in hio xvnrlr