How General Mcclellan's Plans Of Attack On Richmond Were Thwarted

Iliu'fo'ilowiog cilract s'r.owii.g how tlie Í'. .;. i,i' G..i McCicii.iii of the iiUnolt on !:■ l.i'.rri!, iit'iov tbe ey' uatiou nf Mitai ss;ií, wcrtí ihw.irítíj, is f rom tho narrativo ol i'rinoc du Joi; vi.ie. GKNKKAL U'cLELLAN'S fLNS. Wc balievetbat wemav statotiia' Gen. Moüliíllin liad no idea of gm,g té miIrávijlo. II s idea, resolved on ftif ;i loiifi llin', waa tosGOiuo WiisWi-ulon from u su.klo; attack, bj' meana oí a largo gaivison slronglv cstablislied in liie worka ot' wil cl) e have spoken, and ai'ter tliut topnivíJe by the larao nnvigable w.iters, and the iimiiont-.iy of the naval retouiwa ttf the N' rt h . for the tríiiipo:f ulion of tho arn.y rapidly by water lo a pouit closo ti Uicli ni ín i. For wecks, evon for im iiihs, lu ixo' utton of t bis project liad heen very secretly preparing, eèorcaj, it wasuudevstood, s well BN-proujptito.de, wig horo tlio principal oondition of succrin Tbai this tliing should not bo iioised tibroad it was neeos.sary to confíelo :t fnly to a sinall nuniber ot' persons. - í!oiu-o, perhap) otic of t!ie causes of joHlousy agains'. tho Commaudor in Cliief. ílowovcr tlmt ni lit be, aithüdnynf i'.ction was BppfroaWiiiijr, til ose fc'ho inspocfed the Mm cii' tho General, and who ■n-üio annoyed at imt being let mto it ; thoso wbose envy had been exeited by bis proiiiotioii to thc supreme coiniivind - liis poiitioiil eneinitíg - (and who ni tho United States has not.llii'ii)- eferybody, in fine, uear hiña and ander him, íshed iiim íll and appoárod to have taken up the oiv of "slownesa,'1 " in:icton " and i " lüaa -vity,'1 and ued it agaiust hiui j uih reut violcDCO. Tl;s PLANS Tinv.UtTKD. General McCtellnn, with a pntri'itic oouragc w.hiuh I kave ahvays uduiircd, disdait:ed tliose aeensutioiis :md did Dot respoiu! to theui. ilu contuiited biuiself vitli (juielly aud laboTlpiuly preparing liis rpuratioi.s. The moment at leiigtli camc wlien, c pite of t ho leyal support v.liicli the President gave bim, he coii'd no lingor s:-í;k1 np agiiiiist tlie stonn prceipi!;itcd upon bis licad. A couneil oí war of all the Generáis of división was held, and a plali of tlm caiiipaigii which was tiet that of the Coiuiiiai.der lu-Clijèf, was prnposod and discusst'd - General McClötlan liad ibün to explain liio pri'jeets. and the nest diiy tliry wcre Jjiio.vü to tUo cneinv - riuforrftcd, no douliï, ]■ ono of thosa tü'msands ot' female ageiits uh'i did tlie work of ospinnugc tbr him. even in the most iitimau' placc's. - Tlie eilief of thu nbel anuy evaiuated Mana. -sa' 3 liis uarceavre was skiüful Uuablc to assume the defeña'vc, n:enaced wiib atiack either at Ceutreville, wlieru his doftliCö woiild seïvu i)r nnihri, 01 Ht Ricllinoüil, tll(! loss of wllicl) wnuKl bi' a pient check, unablo, besidts, to cover boih of iLhm! poditiüüs ut oiico, he oould do nothing botter thuii fall back, with all Lis forcé-", upon Rieliinond Fur the A'rmy of the Potomao this evacuation was U'ii'jranate. lts ii'oveiuont was u .- in sked bcfore'ït was ruadv ; the transport ivcro not colleoted ; eveu a part of thu:u werfi stiil ieo hound in tlie Hudíoii In that sitia.ti'n, sliould lnj p'eroevdre in uxecutiug a. rapidly as pos bibltf i ho moveineut by water towaid the Virginia KoninsuLi, or ahould he v luarch by lar.d to Richmond ? Such wns tlie grave decisión wbicli the young (ieneral of the Arniy of the Potoiuac, laid up sick, in u miser-'ble cbaiuber of a douertcd himso in Fairfax, bud to make witbio twenty-four houra. k'clellax supurskded as commandehIN-C1IIEF. It was uniier these cireumstances tliat rews reacbed hira of bis benijd depiivcd of the commandin cbief. That is to Kiy, that ho eould no longt r róckob upon the ooperatioii cf the other armies of the Union with his, and that the truops colleotod ander liis m-dcra were to be di viJed i e i feo tuur grand „orpii, under sepa rnte chiefs, all ïioininateti on t!ie groiind of sen:oiity, so as to cause some Gen cruis cf división who bad bis personal oonfido'icu to sink i:to a subaltcru cmidition. I'. w'll bo ea-ily conceived that tbere was enougrh in this to reuder careful eveu the most resdntó uiind.