Evening star., 1912-11-17
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

Orders for the relief OF Gen. Mcclellan
from the command OF the Army OF the
Potomac were issued
McClellan'S from the adjutant gen.
NJ. erals once in this city
AeAA0A' November 5. 1862, but
were not received at the headquarters OF
the army until late on the night OF the
7th. Word did not reach Washington
until Sunday, the 9th, and thus the issue
of The Star of November 10. 1862 carries
the first announcement by this paper IT
was naturally a subject Of universal COM
ment at the capital, and The Star OF
November 10. besides printing the dis
patches. publishes q long discussion OF
the causes leading to this radical action
by the administration. The Star was In
clined to take issue with the government
in its decision to make a change In the
command of the Army Of the Potomac, in
the light Of Information then had regard
ing his relations with the War Depart
ment and to defend him from the crili-
cisns held against him on the score OF
his dilatory tactics and unreadiQess to
carry out the orders Of the military chiefs
Of Washington 1t is evident that a Wig
orous controversy waged between the
local papers on this subject. The Star
paid tribute to Gen. McClellan.s patriot
ism and military sagacity and besought
his friends to accept the action Of his
superiors In command as q thing accom-
plished, ito be made the best Of to secure.
with the command Of the army in other
hands. the glorious decisive victory for
the good cause he would surely have
achieved within but thirty or forty miles
of the point at which he had arrived
when ordered to retire personally from
the field"
*
In The Star OF November IL, 1862, is an
article commenting on two orders issued
by the War Department
Important which were regarded as OF
n.l exceptional Importance, af.
fecting not merely the vel
fare OF Washington, but the fortunes OF
the war:
'The country will doubtless join US in
thanking the War Department for issu-
ing, yesterday and the day before, two
orders evidently destined to have the
happiest effect upon our future military
operations. The first is the order direct
ing all officers Of the Army of the Po-
tomac then in Washington to rejoin their
respective commands within twenty -four
hours. Already 1t has entirely cleared
Pennsylvania avenue and the Washing
ton hotel halls of more than half the off,
GERS who last week swarmed them; those
left being fnvalids. paroled prisoners and
staff officers, quartermasters. commits
saries, surgeons etc, the latter neces-
sarily here on duty. The instant return
to their respective regiments of the large
number Of officers thus hurried to the
front must serve greatly to increase the
efficiency Of the Army of the Potomac.
'The second is the order decree.ng that
the government railroad service shall
hereafter be efficiently managed, pro-
nouncing the penalty of instan. dismissal
of those who fail to expedite the dis
cnar es of freight, etc. It may not be
the difficulty between the late commander
Of the Army of the Potomac and the War
Department concerning the alleged failure
of the latter to comply with the former 8
requisitions for supplies grew out of .he
distracted state Of things in the manage
ment of the governments affairs on the
railroads, recognized in this order, and
thus abated by q single stroke Of the
Secretary pen. There can be no doubt
that with the exception of horses nearly
all articles called for by Gen Mcclellan
for the service Of his army. Were in
stantly ordered to be forwarded to the
front by the chiefs Of the branches of
the service to whom those orders were
directed. In most instances they were
forwarded with admirable promptitude
But once loaded in the railroad cars. they
were lost sight of in sea of confusion
for weeks and weeks. at times. Trains
upon trains of wagons were sent to the
railroad to convey the supplies to the
front, and were forced to return empty
because. though duly shipped, no tidings
of the goods could be obtained. This,
as remarked above. is the key to much
OF the unfortunate misunderstanding be-
tween Gen. Mcclellan in the field and
the authorities here. on this point The
departments announcement that all un-
der its control who hereafter fail to do
their best to secure prompt delivery of
such freight shall instantly be dismissed
from the service will doubtless promptly
cure this evil"
At last the city's street car line was
finished, at this time fifty years ago and
in The Star OF November
Car Lines 13, 1862, is a paragraph
F;n;sbad telling of the accomplish
ment, as follows:
'The work Of laying the rails on the
city railroad throughout was finished
yesterday afternoon, and now. with the
exception of finishing some Of the
switches and turnouts, the road is COM
plete.- This afternoon a ear containing
the officers and number of invited
guests is riding over the whole length Of
| the road. Tomorrow 1t is expected that
every branch of the road will be in opera
tion, although, as sufficiency of stock
has not been got, limited number Of
| cars will have to suffice the public for a
few days. 1t is the intention Of the COM
pany to run on all the branches from an
early hour in the morning to II o'clock
at night. and to put cars on the different
routes as follows: From High street.
Georgetown, to the Baltimore depot 35
cars; navy yard to 7th street and thence
| to street. connecting with smaller cars
to the park, 16 cars; from Baltimore de-
pot UP Pennsylvania to New York avenue,
to 14th street, out to Massachusetts, ave-
nue., where they will connect with small er
cars for the Boundary. II cars, and from