New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-02
Mcclellan Deemed 1t Bettel
to Safeguard Source of
Supplies After This
Victory Than to
Attack City.


wonderful human engine of war styled
Il fine Army OF the Potomac. which Cen
eraI George r. Mcclellan for many months
bad been forging and assembling. was set
In motion ION TO Richmond" The first Dig
hattie I'm which that army was engaged was
Fair Oaks as the Federals styled 1t, or
seven Pines, as the Confederates denomi-
mated It, which was fought on May 81 ana
June l. 1862 Perhaps the reason for the
different names due TO the ups and
downs of the battle for the early success
Of the Confederates was won in the neigh
torhood Of seven straight pines grouped at
IN, function of two roads, while the later
victory for the Federals was gained by the
appearance of Summers corps at the Fair
Oaks railroad station, mile TO the north
of the pines. However that may be. the
result of the victory temporarily opened
the door for Little Mac" TO send his war
engine in upon Richmond, only seven miles
away. and take the city, an opportunity OF
which he did not take advantage.
While Grant and Pope and Farragut had
been winning battles in the Mississippi VAL
lev. General Burnside's expedition had
CAPTURED Roanoke Island. an island IN the
narrows adjoining Albemarle and Pamnco
sounds, and opened up considerable area
~ Union occupation. on April IL Fort
Pulaski one of the substantial ante-peilum
forts erected by the Federal government on
an island at the mouth of the savannah
p,ver was captured by General Quincy A
Gilmore after he had performed the stu
nendous task of moving thirty-six guns
each weighing several tons. over narrow
causeway between swamps and marshes IN
,oie.ht without the ASSISTANCE
~ n light because OF the close proximity
~ the enemy. Halleck. In person 'ooN
command of Grants army at Plttsours
Landing. on the Tennessee aho' ai'ioue.
norn,nally advanced in rank, Grant was
placed by Halleck. whose fame was u
considerable extent based on Grant euo
cesses. in such q position that 'nere was
little for him 10 do.
This situation continued for about TWO
months. during which Halleck' IN plep"i
ing TO drive the Confederates out OF Ooi
tnth. Miss, adopted the same Kiiiu u
tactics az Mcclellan relied upon 10 take
Richmond Engineering and strategy ho'
eobtirg were his strong points. Although
peauregard had only fifty thousand troops
st Corinth. and Albert Sydney Johnsto"
had required only two days in whlch 10
transfer his army from Corinth 10 flt's
- landing when he attacked Grant and
almost beat him, II took Halleck tiirtS
seven days after he had assembled an
,,r,,, ~ one hundred thousand men, 10
cover the same distance. He was so feariui
re another surprise such as that expert
enced by Grant that, to use the picturesque
LANGUAGE NJ sherman. the one hundred
.boueand havone,s were replaced by the
.'nick and shovel" 1ntrenchments were
constantly being dug bridges built ana
roads made The reputed skill or HaHeck
had suggested an energetic campaign IL
became case of hope deferred with con-
slant cries for additional achievements
tntermingled with statements that we are
now al the enemy's throat The enemy
"throat" was never squeezed The battle
NJ Shiloh was fought on April and Z. on
Nav % Haleck's great army, double that
under BeaureGaTd was at Corinth ana
really at the throat" of the enemy. The
only difficulty was that the enemy declded
that Il would not submit its throat TO Hal
4 leck's manipulation. and quietly moved out
o. Corinth. Halleck won strategic battle
and an important railroad junction point
but Beauregards army, having followed
the maxims that discretion is the Ter
part Of valor and that he who runs away
will live TO fight another day, was still IN
good condition.
Mcclellan. bringing with him his plans for
saving the nation, arrived at Fortress Mon
roe with his army on the morning of April
2 President Lincoln. although preferring
the overland route across Virginia, for the
sake of action had accepted General Nc
Clelans carefully worked out project OF
making a campaign against the Confederate
capital by a water route, comprising the
Potomac, Chesapeake Bay and the James
and York rivers, and the peninsula between
these streams. Because II was TO operate
on this peninsula il was called the PENN
suar Campaign.
The success of the Monitor had made 1t
possible for Mcclellan TO bring his troops
and supplies down to Fortress Monroe with
little or no interference. The day after
landing he was ready to move $500 men
and 100 guns and the division artillery Fun