The National tribune., 1909-09-23
Difficulties of Road Making.

/ A mart of the Narrative of the Rev
d. d. Neill, Chaplain of the 1st Mimi.
saws: AT dawn Sunday morning, June
l29, we reached the shallow creek which
flows into the Chickahoniny. There
were many wagon trains huddled to-
gether and l heard an officer giving
directions, and as l approached discov'
cred it was Capt. lie Due, afterwards
brevetted BrigadierGeneral. He told
me that the trains were in danger un-
! less the road could be cleared off and
widened so that several wagons could
come at the same time. BY importantly
! he had obtained detail of axmen, and
| finding they needed efficient and intel
| ligent direction, he asked me to hold
| his horses bride while he dismounted,
and, / think, took an ak ana urged the
| men to work In an hour or two q
| good, fair roadway was obtained, and
/ always thought some superior officer
ought to have known the important
service rendered by Capt. lie Due
There was no laundering about Lees
strategy. He had it planned to ruin
McClellan's army and capture his ar
tillery, and he would have done it il the
distractions he had caused to be put
on the stone road across the swamp
had made the delay he expected of
few hours. He sent Jackson on SUM
ner's flank to do that, and Whiting Il
the other flank while he brought his
main force in pursuit of McClellan's
main body of troops. The saving of
some hours by the rapid clearing of the
obStructiOnS at White Oak let Sumner
cross and prepare for defense against
Jackson, who could do, nothing but
kill a few men with artillery fire at
long range across the swamp. While
he was checked there the large number
of guns in McClellan's army We're being
placed to command any assault upon
the right wing. and Malvern Hill was
choice location for defense. The
fight there was easy for our side and
certain defeat for the rebels, whom Ma
gruder, who was said To be drunk, re-
peatedly urged to an attack that was
certain to fail, and was stopped when
Gen. Lee arrived or before by refusal
of men to advance against such ter
rible fire of artillery. aided as it was by
Rogerss 100-poundcr shells from the
-Galena Our less at Nelson's Farm was
greater than at Malvern. %
Why Richmond Was Not Taken.
That we won great victory at Nal
vern and 'tlFat'Eit Twas'rapparent to all
general officers, was we'll known then
as now. Why did not Mcclellan take
advantage 'Of2it2 To me the. answer is
plain. He had no base of supplies. All
the knapsaci1s and cartridge boxes of
the soldiers or in his wagons, and he
dared not make an advance until sure
of supply of food and ammunition.
Haxall's Landing, whiGh is near the
battlefield of Malvern, WIS on "A narrow
stretch Of river. and thought not to be
defensible. Capt. Rogers advised the
broad river at Harrison's and his ad-
vice governed. McClellan's anxiety for
IA fpt of n NplSpd
supply vessels arrived. l--.
The commander of the battery that
first answered Jackson's guns at White
Oak Swamp told me he was present on
the porch of the Malvern House when
the order was received to retire from
Malvern to Harrison's, and that he
heard Gen. Sumner declare:
I'VE have won great victory, and
L will not retreat"
Impetuous Phil Kearny exclaimed:
Bye GOd, igentlemen. this is either
treason or cowardice. l won't obey the
order" -~-' ..7-- s"0trev'r'
Hooker sai,li This won't do, Kearny.-
Whatever we may think, we will obey
the orders of the Commander-in-Ch Chief
The Prince de Joinviile sent word to
McCIcllan: II congratulate you. You
have won victory. Now Is the time
to take Richmond"
Presumably McClellan's reasoning
was: An army without supplies OF
food and ammunition is a crazy mob.
The first principle of military art must
prevail. A base of supplies is the first
necessity. That base must be secure.
The means of communication between
the base and the army must be certain.
These being established, the advance in
an enemy's country is next to be con-
sidered."
Let the historian be just to McClel-
lam in spite of the unfortunate publica-
tion of his letters to his wife, which he
should never have written and which
she should have hastencd to put in the
W., n,o TT.,.;nr. NI;nn