vices in the battle of Bull Run, had, in September, been promoted to a Major-Generalship, and assigned to command at Winchester, and who had led a strong force westward, expecting to surprise and capture our detachments holding Bath and Romney, though he succeeded in taking both those places, driving out their garrisons, capturing a few prisoners, and destroying at Romney very considerable supplies, yet his unsheltered troops suffered so severely from storm and frost, while so many of his horses were disabled by falling on the icy roads, that his losses probably exceeded the damage inflicted on us; and his blow was fairly countered by Gen. F. W. Lander, who led 4,000 men southward from the Potomac,' and, bridging the Great Cacapon in the night, made a dash at Blooming Gap, which he surprised, killing 13 and capturing 75 Rebels, including 17 officers, with a loss of 2 men and 6 horses. and full responsibilities for the prompt execution of this order." Four days. later, a 'Special War Order No. 1' was likewise issued to Gen. McClellan, commanding him, on or before the 22d prox. aforesaid, to impel “all the disposable force of the Army of the Potomac," "for the immediate object of seizing and occupying a point upon the railroad south-westward of what is known as Manassas Junction." Though these orders are signed Abraham Lincoln, they doubtless received their initial impulse from the new Secretary of War, who had already urged Gen. McClellan to take immediate steps to "secure the reopening of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and free the banks of the lower Potomac from the Rebel batteries which annoyed passing vessels." Gen. M. had been previously | urged by the President to organize his army into four or five distinct corps, under Generals of his own choice; which he had declined, and Gen. Simon Cameron had been still declined, to do; alleging that he succeeded by Hon. Edwin M. Stan- wished first to test his officers in acton-an eminent lawyer, without tive service as division commanders, pretensions to military knowledge, so that he "might be able to decide and of limited experience in public from actual trial who were best fitaffairs, but evincing a rough energy ted to exercise those important comand zeal for decisive efforts, which mands." At length, the President the country hailed as of auspicious issued 'General War Order No. 2,' augury. Two weeks later," a War directing the organization of the Order was issued by the President, Army of the Potomac into four commanding a general advance upon corps, to be commanded by Gens. the enemy from every quarter on the McDowell, Sumner, Heintzelman, 22d of February proximo, and de- and Keyes respectively, beside the claring that "the Secretaries of War forces to be left for the defense of and of the Navy, with all their sub- Washington under Brig.-Gen. James ordinates, and the General-in-Chief, S. Wadsworth, who should also be with all other commanders and sub- Military Governor of the District of ordinates of land and naval forces, Columbia, and a fifth, composed of will severally be held to their strict the forces on the upper Potomac, to Jan. 1, 1862. Feb. 13. Jan. 13. 7 Jan. 27. Gen. McClellan's Report. 5 8 • March 8. He further urged, in favor of a landing at Urbana, that— main army; for he could fall back upon | oppose us in front; we bring our fleet into other positions, and fight us again and full play." again, should the condition of his troops permit. If he is in no condition to fight us again out of the range of the intrenchments at Richmond, we would find it a very difficult and tedious matter to follow him up there; for he would destroy his railroad bridges and otherwise impede our progress, through a region where the roads are as bad as they well can be; and we would probably find ourselves forced at last to change the whole theater of war, or to seek a shorter land route to Richmond, with a smaller available force, and at an expenditure of much more time than were we to adopt the short line at once. We would also have forced the enemy to concentrate his forces and perfect his defensive measures, at the very points where it is desirable to strike him when least prepared." "This point is easily reached by vessels of heavy draught; it is neither occupied nor observed by the enemy; it is but one march from West Point, the key of that region, and thence but two marches to Richmond. A rapid movement from Urbana would probably cut off Magruder in the Peninsula, and enable us to occupy Richmond before it could be strongly rëenforced. Should we fail in that, we could, with the cooperation of the navy, cross the James and show ourselves in rear of Richmond, thus forcing the enemy to come out and attack us; for his position would be untenable with us on the southern bank of the river. Should circumstances render it not advisable to or, On the other hand, Gen. McClelland at Urbana, we can use Mob Jack Bay; the worst coming to the worst, we can lan urged in favor of an advance by take Fortress Monroe as a base, and operate the route he preferred, that— with complete security-although with less celerity and brilliancy of results-up the Peninsula." "It affords the shortest possible landroute to Richmond, and strikes directly at the heart of the enemy's power in the East. "The roads in that region are passable at all seasons of the year. "The country now alluded to is much more favorable for offensive operations than that in front of Washington (which is very unfavorable), much more level, more cleared land, the woods less dense, the soil more sandy, and the Spring some two or three weeks earlier. A movement in force on that line obliges the enemy to abandon his intrenched position at Manassas, in order to hasten to cover Richmond and Norfolk. He must do this; for, should he permit us to occupy Richmond, his destruction can be averted only by entirely defeating us in a battle, in which he must be the assailant. This movement, if successful, gives us the capital, the communications, the supplies of the Rebels; Norfolk would fall; all the waters of the Chesapeake would be ours; all Virginia would be in our power, and the enemy forced to abandon Tennessee and North Carolina. The alternative presented to the enemy would be, to beat us in a position selected by ourselves, disperse, or pass beneath the Caudine Forks. "Should we be beaten in a battle, we have a perfectly secure retreat down the Peninsula upon Fortress Monroe, with our flanks perfectly covered by the fleet. "During the whole movement, our left flank is covered by the water. Our right is secure, for the reason that the enemy is too distant to reach us in time; he can only The President deferred to these urgent representations, though they involved the necessity of a long delay and a heavy expense in procuring transportation by water for so great an army. The duty of obtaining the requisite vessels was devolved on John Tucker, Assistant-Secretary of War; who, on the 5th of April, reported that he had chartered therefor 113 steamers, 188 schooners, and 88 barges, and that these had-within 37 days from the time he first received the order, and most of it within 30 days-transported from Perryville, Alexandria, and Washington, to Fortress Monroe, 121,500 men, 14,592 animals, 1,150 wagons, 44 batteries, and 74 ambulances, beside pontoon-bridges, telegraph materials, and the enormous quantity of equipage, &c., required for such an army; with a total loss of 9 barges and 8 mules: the former having been driven ashore in a gale when within a few miles of Fortress Monroe. He adds that the change which had meantime been made from Urbana to Fortress Monroe, as the point of debarkation, had caused delay in the movement. The force of Gen. McClellan's objections to the advance desired and at first commanded by President Lincoln, depends entirely on the correctness of his estimate of the Rebel numbers in his front. He estimated throughout that these ranged from 80,000 to 120,000 men, with over 300 cannon." On the other hand, those who were eager for a direct and decisive blow, insisted, from first to last, that the Rebel army at no time exceeded 60,000 in number, and was oftener below 50,000." Gen. Beauregard had relinquished" the command of the Army of Virginia, to take direction in the West, and been succeeded by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, who soon commenced a quiet and careful evacuation of his Winter camps, which he completed on the 8th of March; retiring southward behind the Rapidan, leaving nothing of the least value to our service. So admirably was this usually perilous movement conducted, or so "He states in his official Report that the chief of his secret service corps, Mr. E. J. Allen, reported, on the 8th of March, that the forces of the Rebel Army of the Potomac at that date were as follows: At Manassas, Centerville, Bull Run, Upper At Brooks's Station, Dumfries, Lower Occo- At Leesburg and vicinity.. Total number. ..... 80,000 men. 18,000 4,500 13,000 .115,500 " 66 12 The writer visited, early in January, Gen. Wadsworth, in his camp near Ball's CrossRoads; when, on this point, Gen. W. said: "I see and examine all deserters and contrabands who reach us from the Rebel camps in our front; and their testimony convinces me that they have but fifty or sixty regiments in all-certainly not over 50,000 men." This, of course, did not in worthless was McClellan's observation and secret service, that no hint of it appears to have reached our General until the day after its completion." He then ordered an advance of our grand army upon Centerville and Manassas, as transports had not yet been provided for their passage down the Potomac and Chesapeake, and with a view of giving them, he says, "an opportunity to gain some experience on the march and bivouac, preparatory to the campaign, and to get rid of the superfluous baggage and other 'impedimenta,' which accumulate so easily around an army encamped for a long time in one locality." His cavalry advance, Col. Averill, reached the enemy's deserted lines at Centerville at noon next day. Of course, no enemy was found there, nor nearer than Warrenton Junction; where Gen. Stoneman, with our cavalry, discovered them in force on the 14th, and returned without attacking them. The main body of our army had commenced its return to the Potomac on the 11th; on which day the President issued' War Order No. 3,' relieving Gen. McClellan from the clude outlying detachments, whether at and toward Winchester or below the Occoquan. Most Rebel writers who touch this point, and British officers who served with or visited the Rebel army during the ensuing campaign, were unanimous in making their total effective force during that Winter less than 50,000.. 15 Jan. 30. 14 Pollard says: "For the space of three weeks before the army left its intrenchments at Manassas, preparations were being made for falling back to the line of the Rappahannock, by the quiet and gradual removal of the vast accumulations of army stores; and, with such consummate address was this managed, that our own troops had no idea of what was intended until the march was taken up. The first intimation the enemy had of the evacuation of Manassas was the smoke of the soldiers' huts that had been fired by our army." |