The National tribune., 1907-10-31
TRIBUNE THURSDAY

i ners shall be inscribed with many 9
glorious deed, and that your names will
8 be dear to your countrymen forever.
l "John Pope, Msjor-General Command.
ing
Pope's Plan.
When Gen. Pope was consulting with
! the President and Secretary of War
with regard to his plans he insisted
that il Mcclellan was in the situation
that he represented himself to be his
better plan would be to move to the
, fright, sacrificing his material on the
Peninsula, and Join him. Pope, at Fred
ericksburg. This plan was founded on
: Sound military principles. Instead of
: doing this, however, and while this con-
, sultation was going on. Mcclellan moved
off toward the James, thus rendering
Iany cooperation between his army and
that of Pope difficult If not entirely
impossible, especially as it could never
lbe told when nor how Mcclellan would
lobey an order even if he chose to obey
1t at all.
The Army of Virginia.
| Gen. Pope named his force the Army
of Virginia, and divided it into three
|corps. The First Corps was given to
lGen. Sigel. with the First Division, con-
ssting of McLean's and Stahl's Bri-
SdueS. commenced Uy ftOD 4. ocHeliCk
The Second Division was commanded
by Adolph Won Steinwehr, and had only
Bohlen's Brigade. The Third Division
was commanded by Carl SchurZ, and
consisted of Kryzyanowski's, Schimmel
pfennigs and Milroy's Brigades.
Banks's force was denominated the
Second Corps His First Division was
commanded by A. 8. Williams, and
made up of Crawfords. Gordon's and
Germans Brigades. His Second Divi-
sion was commanded by c. c. Augur,
and consisted of Princes, Geary's and
lGreene's Brigades.
| The Third Corps was McDowelrs
| force. His First Division was COM
manded by Ricketts,. and made up of
Towers. Hartsuff's, Carrolls and Dur
yeas Brigades His Second Division
was commanded by Rufus King. and
consisted of Patrick's. Doubleday's.
Gibbons and Hatch's Brigades. His
Third Division was commanded by Stur-
II gis. and consisted of Piatts and another
brigade.
Burnside's Roanoke forces were
presently brought up. and added to
Pope's command under the designation
Of the Ninth Corps. with a division
commanded by Reno, Stevens and
Parke.
The official reports for July 81 give
a total strength of the First Corps at
Corps, 21,479. Gen. Pope says that
these figures were much exaggerated.
! particularly as to Eanks's Corps which
! had no more than 5000 electives,
against the total of 1851, on its con-
solidated morning reports. Banks's
strength was badly scattered in attempt
ing to hold too many places in the Val
ley.
Pope had concentrated Sigers Corps
at Sperryville, Banks at Little Wash
ington and Ricketts's Division at Wa
terloo Bridge when he assumed COM
mand in person July 20.
McC1ellan's Inactivity.
All this time Mcclellan was calling
for reinforcements. altho he was max
ing no use of the 10000 men already
given him to extend his lines beyond
the narrow limits of the fortified camp
at Harrison's Landing. He continued
his appeal for more troops, and asked
that 10000 men be sent him from the
West. but as he made no show of NOV
ing with the force he had Halleck Wis
tied him. July 26, at Harrison's Land
ing. and told him that the journey was
made for the express purpose of ascer-
tanning his views and wishes with re-
gard to future operations. Mcclellan
said that he proposed to cross the
James River at that point and seize
Petersburg. This was an excellent idea
from a strategic point Of view. but Hal
leck was not convinced that Mcclellan
would act with any more energy on
this plan Il an he had on his previous
ones, and he returned to Washington
with Gacreased confidence.
The urgency of Gen. Halleck and the
Administration, added to the impatiencc
OF his own men, at last compelled Nc
Clellan to make some show of action.
and he ordered Hooker and Sedgwick to |
m a n a in ho u
to Malvern Hill.
On Aug. 3 Mcclellan received tele-
gram from Gen. Halleck ordering him
to withdraw the entire army from the |
Peninsula to Aqua Creek. and make |
junction with Gen. Pope. This was
and his coterie in many respects. Moth |
ing more distasteful to Mcclellan could |
we'll be imagined than this reduction |
from the position of an Independent |
commander in the field to that of n |
subordinate carrying out the wishes of |
Gen. Halleck. 1t was also an official |
announcement of his failure, and he |
rebelled against associating on equal or |
even inferior terms with the well-hated |
John Pope. Mcclellan protested strong
ly against the order, and then accepted |
1t. His partisans say that he proceeded |
to execute it, but the manner of the
execution was certainly not that of a
man eager 10 comply with tne spirit OF
the order OF course, McClellan's par
tisans claim that he was interfered with |
just as he was on the point of doing !
something, but this had been true of
him for one long, anxious year. He was
always just on the point of doing some
thing which never eventuated. We have
no reason for believing that his as
sumed anxiety to take Petersburg would
have been any more fruitful in results