Major General George B. McClellan to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, June 1, 1862

FIELD OF BATTLE, June 1, 1862 – 12 o'clock.

Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

We have had a desperate battle, in which the corps of Sumner, Heintzelman, and Keyes have been engaged against greatly superior numbers. Yesterday, at 1, the enemy, taking advantage of a terrible storm, which had flooded the valley of the Chickahominy, attacked our troops on the right bank of that river.  Casey's division, which was in first line, gave way unaccountably and disunitedly [discreditably*]. This caused a temporary confusion, during which some guns and baggage were lost, but Heintzelman and Kearny most gallantly brought up their troops, which checked the enemy; at the same time, however, [General Sumner*] succeeded by great exertion in bringing across Sedgwick's and Richardson's divisions, who drove back the enemy at the point of the bayonet, covering the ground with his dead.

This morning the enemy attempted to renew the conflict, but was everywhere repulsed. We have taken many prisoners, among whom is General Pettigrew and Colonel Long. Our loss is heavy, but that of the enemy must be enormous. With the exception of Casey's division [our*] men behaved splendidly.†  Several fine bayonet charges have been made. The Second Excelsior made two to-day.

GEO. B. McCLELLAN,

Major-general, Commanding.

__________

*These words in revised copy.  See McClellan to Stanto, Jun 5, 10:30 a.m., p. 751.

†See also general report, pp. 38-43

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume XI, Part I (Serial No. 12), page 749

Divisions of the Army of the Potomac

WASHINGTON, March 8. – The President’s war order No. 2, has ordered the army of the Potomac to be divided into Corps D’arme, commanded as follows:

1st Corps consisting of the four divisions commanded by McDowell.

2d. Of three divisions commanded by Gen. Sherman.

3d. Of three divisions commanded by Gen. Heintzelman.

4th. Of three divisions commanded by Brig. Gen. Keys.

5th. Banks and Shields’ divisions.  The latter  and Sanders’ to be commanded by Gen. Banks.

Capt Bell, of the 3d Pennsylvania Cavalry has been promoted to Major of the 3d Illinois Cavalry, in Halleck’s department.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 15, 1862, p. 4

PRESIDENT'S GENERAL WAR ORDER, No. 2

EXECUTIVE MANSION,

Washington, March 8, 1862.

Ordered, 1. That the major-general commanding the Army of the Potomac proceed forthwith to organize that part of the said army destined to enter upon active operations (including the reserve, but excluding the troops to be left in the fortifications about Washington) into four army corps, to be commanded according to seniority of rank, as follows:

First Corps to consist of four divisions, and to be commanded by Maj. Gen. I. McDowell.

Second Corps to consist of three divisions, and to be commanded by Brig. Gen. E. V. Sumner.

Third Corps to consist of three divisions, and to be commanded by Brig. Gen. S. P. Heintzelman.

Fourth Corps to consist of three divisions, and to be commanded by Brig. Gen. E. D. Keyes.

2. That the divisions now commanded by the officers above assigned to the commands of army corps shall be embraced in and form part of their respective corps.

3. The forces left for the defense of Washington will be placed in command of Brig. Gen. James S. Wadsworth, who shall also be military governor of the District of Columbia.

4. That this order be executed with such promptness and dispatch as not to delay the commencement of the operations already directed to be undertaken by the Army of the Potomac.

5. A fifth army corps, to be commanded by Maj. Gen. N. P. Banks, will be formed from his own and General Shields' (late General Lander's) divisions.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series 1, vol. 5, p. 18

From Washington

WASHINGTON, March 11.

The following orders by the President were published by authority in the Intelligencer this morning.  Their importance and bearing are manifest.

WAR GAZETTE, PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY.

EXECUTIVE MANSION,

WASHIGNTON, Jan. 27^th, 1862

THE PRESIDENT'S GENERAL ORDER NO. ONE.

It is ordered that on the 22d day of February, 1862, there be a general movement of the land and naval forces of the United States against the insurgent forces.  That especially the army at and about Fortress Monroe, the army of the Potomac, the army of Western Virginia, the army near Munfordsville, the army and flotilla at Cairo, and naval force in the Gulf of Mexico, be ready for a movement on that day.  That all the other forces both land and naval, with their respective commanders, obey the existing order for the time, and be ready to obey additional orders, when duly given.  That the heads of departments, and especially the Secretary of War and the Navy, with all their subordinates, and the General-in-Chief, with other commanders and subordinates of the land and naval forces, will severally be held to their strict and full responsibilities for the prompt execution of this order.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

THE PRESIDENT'S GENERAL WAR ORDER NO. TWO

EXECUTIVE MANSION,

WASHINGTON, March 8, 1862.

Ordered, first, that the Major General commanding the army of the Potomac proceed forthwith to organize that part of said army destined to enter upon active operations, including the reserve, but excluding the troops to be left in the fortifications about Washington, into four army corps, to be commanded according to seniority of rank, as follows:

First corps to consist of four divisions, to be commanded by Maj. Gen. McDowell.

Second corps to consist of three divisions, to be commanded by Brig. Gen. Sumner.

Third corps to consist of three divisions, to be commanded by Brig. Gen. Heintzelman.

Fourth corps to consist of three divisions, to be commanded, by Brig. Gen. Keyes.

Ordered, second, that the division now commanded by the officers above assigned the command of corps, shall be embraced in and form parts of their respective corps.

Third, the forces left for the defence of Washington will be placed under command of Brig. Gen. James S. Wadsworth, who shall also be military Governor of the District of Columbia.

Fourth, that this order be executed with such promptness and dispatch as not to delay the commencement of the operations, directed to be undertaken by the army of the Potomac.

Fifth.  A fifth army corps, to be commanded by Major General N. P. Banks, will be formed from his own and General Shield’s (lat Gen. Lander’s) divisions.

Signed,

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

THE PRESIDENT'S WAR ORDER NO. THREE

EXECUTIVE MANSION,

WASHINGTON, March 12, 1862.

Maj. Gen. McClellan, having personally taken the field at the head of the army of the Potomac, until otherwise ordered he is released from the command of the other military departments, he retaining the command of the department of the Potomac.

Ordered, further, that the two departments now under the respective command of Gens. Halleck and Hunter, together with so much of that of Gen. Buell which lies west of a north and south line indefinitely drawn through Knoxville, Tennessee, be consolidated, and designated the department of the Mississippi; and that until otherwise ordered, Maj. Gen. Halleck have command of the said department.

Ordered also that the country west of the department of the Potomac and east of the department of the Mississippi, be a military department, and the same be commanded by Major Gen. Fremont; that all commanders of departments after the receipt of this order respectively report severally and directly to the Secretary of war, and that prompt and frequent reports will be expected of all.

Signed,

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday Morning, March 13, 1862, p. 1

News from Rebel Sources

BALTIMORE, April 12. – A dispatch from New Orleans to the Richmond Whig dated April 5, says the enemy shelled Pass Christian yesterday, and landed 2,400 men and 12 4-pound howitzers. Our force was 2,500 men and two howitzers. We made a narrow escape.

A letter from Pattonsburg, North Carolina, to the Richmond Whig, says the Nashville was taken to sea by Lieut. Wm. C. Whittle and that she was taken to Charleston to be delivered to her new owner. The Richmond Whig contains news from Yorktown that Gen. Magruder, with his staff, was at the Lee House near Lee’s Mills on Sunday, and came near being captured or killed by Gen. Keyes. The horse of one of his staff was killed under him in his flight by a shell.

On Monday Jeff Davis addressed some wounded soldiers and said he intended to share their fate on the next battle-field, and come weal or woe, he would be with them, and whatever might betide, whether victory or defeat ensued, of one thing he assured them, the course is safe – we’ll conquer in the end.

The Richmond Whig Contains a dispatch announcing that the rebel General Gladden lost his arm in the Pittsburg battle of Sunday.

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 19, 1862