would make his total losses both from battle and disease 40,103. On July 13, 1862, Mr. Lincoln telegraphed him from Washington: "I am told that over 160,000 men have gone into your army. When I was with you the other day (at Harrison's Landing) we made out 86,500 remaining, leaving 73,500 to be accounted for. I believe 23,500 will cover all the killed, wounded, and missing in all your battles and skirmishes; leaving 50,000 who have left otherwise. Not more than 5,000 of these have died, leaving 45,000 of your army still alive and not with it.1 On July 15 General McClellan answered this from Harrison's Landing, questioning whether he had received "160,000" men present in all; but giving his then present for duty as 88,665, and his present and absent as 144,407. He gave his sick as 16,619, and his absentees as "about 40,000.' 12 These figures, it will be noticed, differ from his "Return" of July 10 (above quoted) by about 11,000 men present. But Mr. Lincoln's estimate of "23,500" as his losses in action does not vary much from mine above (24.448); though I think his guess of “5,000" as having died from disease is more than twice too small. The "absentees" were not all deserters, by a long shot. But thousands of them were good officers and men, who had gone home on furlough or "sick leave," or otherwise, after our bloody and exhausting battles, etc., on the Peninsula, because of the want of hospital accommodations, medical attendance, etc.; and they never returned because of death or prolonged disability, incapacitating them for further service. From all which, after much searching of the records. and my own actual experience there, and much talk with others there, I think it fair to conclude as follows: It is true that Mr. Lincoln puts these "absentees" at "45,000," and McClellan at "about 40,000." But it is believed that, with the foregoing explanations, the above figures of 21,335 are more nearly accurate. This makes his total losses, then, from both battle and disease, as 50,000, instead of "40,103," as above figured out; and this it is believed cannot be far wrong. In other words, General McClellan lost one third of his army on the Peninsula, and gained nothing whatever; the Army of the Potomac returning again to Alexandria in August, whence it moved late in March. Even as, ingloriously, "The King of France, with fifty thousand men, Well might Robert E. Lee air his sometime Latin, and serenely sing, "Parturiunt montes nascitur ridiculus mus!” 1 His "Return," July 10, gives his aggregate, present and absent, as 157,038, even then Mr. Lincoln's estimate of "160,000" of course was furnished him by the Adjutant-General, U. S. A., and made up from actual "Returns" in the War Department. 40 CHAPTER IV AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE My next commander was General Burnside. Antietam was fought September 16 and 17, 1862; and Lee, dazed but not defeated, fell back into Virginia again. Here he was allowed to rest and recuperate, ad libitum, until November 1, or thereabouts, before McClellan got ready to pursue him a delay inexcusable from every point of view. It is true, that "Little Mac" alleged his army was terribly bad off: short of horses, short of wagons, short of rations, clothing, shoes, and about everything. But if he whipped Lee at Antietam, the Confederates, beaten and retreating, must certainly have been far worse off; as was indeed. the fact, of course. Lee recrossed the Potomac on the night of September 18, without McClellan knowing much about it, if indeed suspecting it. Nevertheless, September 19, he telegraphed the general in chief (Halleck) at Washington as follows:1 "I have the honor to report that Maryland is entirely freed from the presence of the enemy, who has been driven across the Potomac. *** “G. B. MCCLELLAN, Major General Commanding." "Driven" by whom, and when? Certainly not by McClellan; for in his "Own Story," page 620, he says: "On the night of the eighteenth the enemy, after passing troops in the latter part of the day from the l'irginia shore to their position behind Sharpsburg [Maryland], as seen 1 McClellan's Own Story, p. 621. |