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of the Potomac, notwithstanding the moral effect incident to previous reverses, had achieved a victory over an adversary invested with the prestige of recent success. Our soldiers slept that night conquerors on a field won by their valor, and covered with the dead and wounded of the enemy."

The losses in this battle are estimated by Gen. McClellan at 2,000 killed, 9,500 wounded, 1,000 missing--12,500. He also supposed the rebel loss to be from 25,000 to 30,000. Pollard and others state their loss to have been not more than 8,000 or 9,000.

The battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg may be pronounced to be, on the whole, a drawn battle, although the substantial fruits of victory remained on the Union side. Gen. Lee expected and awaited an attack the next day; but Gen. McClellan, conscious of his great loss in officers as well as men, and anxiously forecasting the fatal effect of a defeat just at this time at the hands of the rebels, after much deliberation did not judge it best to resume the fight. Lee accordingly, on the night of the 18th and morning of the 19th of September, crossed the Potomac and returned into Virginia. An attempted pursuit, by a portion of Porter's corps, on the 20th, by way of Shepherdstown, resulted in a repulse and driving our men back across the Potomac with severe loss.*

The invasion of Maryland occupied only two weeks. It was unquestion

* Much dissatisfaction was expressed in various quarters at Lee's escape without further loss, and McClellan's inactivity and delay have been severely animadverted upon. Mr. Swinton, after allowing all the force which seems due to McClellan's statements, is

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ably a failure, and it was accompanied not only by positive loss, but by exceeding mortification and shame at the coldness, indifference and hostility manifested by the people towards the secession "deliverers." Lee was glad to get back into Virginia, and to have the opportunity of gathering up the fragments of the large and imposing army with which he had set out from Richmond. Not more than one half of his host of 70,000 now remained; death, wounds, desertions, straggling, and such like, had told with fearful effect upon his army; and as McClel lan was not ready, if able, to follow him up, but was engaged in refitting and re-organizing his own army, Lee took post in the Shenandoah Valley, near Winchester, to recruit and prepare for the further contest, when our army should again assume the offensive.

Both generals, as usual in such cases, issued congratulatory addresses, and spoke in the highest terms of the valor and good conduct of their respective armies. McClellan thought that 14 guns, 39 colors, 15,500 stand of arms, and nearly 6,000 prisoners were evidence of the completeness of our triumph. Lee, on the other hand, claiming that his force was less than one-third that of McClellan, dilated upon the taking of Harper's Ferry, and made much of the fact that McClellan did not renew the battle on the 18th of September, and did not press any pursuit beyond the Potomac.

decidedly of opinion that he "should have renewed the attack on the morning of the 18th of September." See the reasons which he urges, and which, if admitted to be sound, convict McClellan of great error.-' Army of the Potomac," pp. 223, 4.

CHAPTER XXIII.

1862.

CLOSE OF MCCLELLAN'S CAREER: BURNSIDE'S CAMPAIGN: BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG.

Views and plans of Gen. McClellan Halleck's telegram ordering an advance-McClellan's delays and reasons therefor― Stuart's cavalry raid into Pennsylvania - Public impatience - President Lincoln's letter - McClellan advances into Virginia - Position of Lee's forces McClellan's plan - Suddenly removed - Remarks upon the close of McClellan's career - Estimate of his character and conduct-Gen. Burnside assumes the command on the 10th of November - Change of plan- Determines to advance by way of Fiedericksburg President Lincoln's order on observance of the Lord's Day in the army and navy-Army marches to Falmouth on the Rappahannock - Burnside's unwise delay - Doubts as to where to cross — Plan to cross at Skenker's Neck, below Fredericksburg-Burnside resolves to cross at the town, and surprise the rebels — Attempts to build pontoon bridges - Rebel sharpshooters - Bombardment of FredericksburgSharpshooters dislodged - The town occupied, December 11th - Arrangements for the battle — Plan adopted - Sumner's attack on the right wing - Impregnable position of Lee's army - Hooker's final attempt -Total failure-Terrible loss on our side - The army recross the Rappahannock — Burnside's letter respecting the battle — Resting, repairing losses, etc.— Morale of the Army of the Potomac much depreciated - Burnside's further attempts - Displaced from the command - Succeeded by Hooker.

1862.

-

GEN. MCCLELLAN, as we have seen | President Lincoln visited the Army of (p. 233), did not deem it expedient to the Potomac, in the vicinity of Haradvance against Lee immediately after per's Ferry, and had an opportunity of the battle of Antietam, on the 17th reviewing the troops and going over the of September. In his view, the army battle grounds of South Mountain and required rest, refitting, supplies, Antietam. He spent several days in etc. In addition, as he tele- this wise, and afforded McClellan a graphed to Halleck, September 22d, good opening for explaining and defurther steps ought to be taken for the fending his delay in following up Lee improvement of the army at the earliest and his army. Probably, Mr. Lincoln possible moment. His plan was to re- was not much impressed by McClel tain his forces on the north bank of the lan's reasoning; for immediately on his river, render Harper's Ferry secure, and return to Washington, he insisted upon watch the movements of the enemy the commanding general's displaying until the rise of the Potomac should greater activity and energy. Under render a new invasion of Maryland im- date of October 6th, Halleck sent a practicable; when, as it appeared ad- telegram of a peremptory sort: "I am vantageous, he might move on Win- instructed to telegraph you as follows: chester, or devote a reasonable time to The president directs that you cross the organization of the army and in- the Potomac and give battle to the struction of the new troops preparatory enemy, or drive him south. Your to an advance. On the 1st of October, army must move now, while the roads

\. XXIII.]

STUART'S CAVALRY RAID.

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The next day, McClellan, in reply to the above, expressed his preference for the line of the Shenandoah for immediate operations against the enemy, and his determination to advance, as soon as possible, upon Winchester. It afforded greater facilities, he thought, for supply. ing the army, and to abandon it would be, in his judgment, to leave Maryland uncovered for another invasion.

The great practical difficulty in the way was, the obtaining supplies and equipments as fast as they were needed. McClellan kept calling for them day after day, and, as he asserts, could not get them as they were wanted. He was utterly unwilling to move, till his cavalry force was in a good working condition,* and till the army generally was furnished in such wise as to render

it safe to advance into Virginia. Altogether, from one cause and another, wherein it was hard to tell on whom the blame properly rested, nearly the whole month passed away before these troublesome matters were arranged, in any respect, to McClellan's satisfaction. Meanwhile, the rebel General Stuart signalized his ability and skill by a

*On the 25th of October, McClellan having complain

ed that the horses he had were not in good working condition, Mr. Lincoln wrote a brief and rather sharp note, as follows: "I have just read your dispatch about sore tongued and fatigued horses. Will you pardon ine for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigues anything?"

235

cavalry raid into Pennsylvania, not unlike the one previously carried through by him on the Peninsula (see p. 197). On the 10th of October, Stuart, with some 1,800 men and four pieces of artillery, crossed the Potomac at McCoy's Ford near Williamsport, passed through Maryland, advanced upon and occupied Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and de stroyed all the government property within reach. Turning eastwardly, he entered Maryland at Emmetsburg, and thence by Frederick he marched to Poolesville, on the 12th of October. Some slight skirmishing occurred here, with the advance of Gen. Pleasanton's cavalry force, which had marched in pursuit seventy-eight miles in twentyfour hours; but, Stuart passed on with out the loss of a man. Having made the entire circuit of our army, he re crossed the Potomac below the mouth of the Monocacy. The special prize gained by Stuart, was some 800 to 1,000 horses, which were seized upon at and near Chambersburg.

This daring raid stirred up afresh the public impatience of delay, and McClellan was urged, by both Halleck and President Lincoln, to bestir himself and attack the rebels. The latter wrote a long, characteristic letter to McClellan, dated Oct. 13th, containing mingled advice and expostulation, and furnishing the commanding general with various suggestions of a military 1862. description, which showed that Mr. Lincoln thought himself quite competent to give direction in his constitutional position as commander-in-chief of the army and such direction too, navy, as was not to be neglected.

Pressed by these urgent demands on all hands for action, McClellan determined to execute the proposed movement on the east of the Blue Ridge. Accordingly, on the 26th of October, the army commenced crossing the Potomac by a pontoon bridge at Berlin, five miles below Harper's Ferry. Pleasanton took the lead with a body of cavalry, and was followed by the corps of Burnside. A sufficient garrison having been left at Harper's Ferry, Sedg. wick and Hancock in the lower part of the Shenandoah Valley, about Charles town, pressed the enemy, who now began their retreat towards Richmond. The Union forces occupied the passes of the Blue Ridge. Snicker's Gap was taken possession of by Hancock, on the 2d of November, while Pleasanton, with his cavalry, was driving the enemy beyond. The last corps of the army was over the Potomac on the 5th of November, and on the 6th, the advance was at Warrenton, General McClellan holding his headquarters at Rectortown, on the Manassas Gap Railroad.

The movement thus far, spite of the inclemency of the weather, promised to be successful to a high degree; for, on reaching Warrenton, on the 9th of November, while Lee had sent half of his army forward to Culpepper to oppose McClellan's advance in that quarter, the other half was still west of the Blue Ridge, and at least two days' march distant. McClellan's plan, in this state of affairs, was to march across, obliquely westward, and get between the severed portious of the rebel force, and strike a decisive and fatal blow. It seems not unreasonable to suppose

that, had he been permitted to carry out his plan, he would have gained an important victory; but this was not allowed. The directors of military affairs at Washington had no liking for McClellan, neither had McClellan any love to spare for them, and they resolv ed to displace him as speedily as possible. This was brought about just at this critical moment. Late on the night of November 7th, in the midst of a heavy snow storm, Gen. Buckingham, post-haste from Washington, reached McClellan's headquarters at Rectortown. He was charged with a dispatch, dated Nov. 5th, which read as follows: "By the direction of the President of the United States, it is ordered, that Major-General McClellan be relieved from the command of the Army of the Potomac, and that Major-Gen. Burnside take command of that army."

Burnside and other generals were in McClellan's tent at the time. Opening the dispatch and reading it, without a change of countenance or of voice, he passed the paper over to his successor, and simply said, "Well, Burnside, you are to command the army." In addition to the dispatch, McClellan received orders from Halleck to betake himself immediately to Trenton, New Jersey, reporting on his arrival, by telegraph, and waiting for further orders. In a few days, he bade farewell to the officers and soldiers, and repairing to the North, retired from the stage of action, and from all further connection with the struggle of loyal men to crush the rebellion.

It is not easy, in a brief space, to do justice to Gen. McClellan, or to define

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