THE REPUBLICATION, in its entirety, of the War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, is a service project undertaken by the National Historical Society in the interest of libraries and scholars who have long needed a reissue of this indispensable work. Each of the 128 volumes is published in full, including the Index, and all are heavily bound in buckram for long and continued use. This and other volumes of the set are available only from the National Historical Society. The National Historical Society seeks to expand and enrich know- THE WAR OF THE REBELLION: A COMPILATION OF THE OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE ARMIES. PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR, BY BVT. LIEUT. AND PUBLISHED PURSUANT TO ACT OF CONGRESS APPROVED JUNE 16, 1880. SERIES I-VOLUME XI-IN THREE PARTS. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1884. PART III.-VOL. XI. CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN, VIRGINIA, FROM MARCH 17 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 1862. UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.* HEADQUARTERS DIVISION OF THE POTOMAC, Lieut. Gen. WINFIELD SCOTT, Commanding U. S. Army: Washington, August 8, 1861. GENERAL: Information from various sources reaching me to-day, through spies, letters, and telegrams, confirm my impressions, derived from previous advices, that the enemy intend attacking our positions on the other side of the river, as well as to cross the Potomac north of us. I have also received a telegram from a reliable agent just from Knoxville, Tenn., that large re-enforcements are still passing through there to Richmond. I am induced to believe that the enemy has at least 100,000 men in front of us. Were I in Beauregard's place, with that force at my disposal, I would attack the positions on the other side of the Potomac, and at the same time cross the river above this city in force. I feel confident that our present army in this vicinity is entirely insufficient for the emergency, and it is deficient in all the arms of the service-infantry, artillery, and cavalry. I therefore respectfully and most earnestly urge that the gar risons of all places in our rear be reduced at once to the minimum absolutely necessary to hold them, and that all the troops thus made available be forthwith forwarded to this city; that every company of regular artillery within reach be immediately ordered here to be mounted; that every possible means be used to expedite the forwarding of new regi ments of volunteers to this capital without one hour's delay. I urge that nothing be left undone to bring up our force for the defense of this city to 100,000 men, before attending to any other point. I advise that at least eight or ten good Ohio and Indiana regiments may be telegraphed for from Western Virginia, their places to be filled at once by the new troops from the same States, who will be at least reliable to fight behind the intrenchments which have been constructed there. The vital importance of rendering Washington at once perfectly secure and its imminent danger impel me to urge these requests with the utmost earnestness, and that not an hour be lost in carrying them into execution. A sense of duty which I cannot resist compels me to state that in my opinion military necessity demands that the Departments of NorthThe communications following, dated August 8, 1861-March 3, 1862, were received too late for publication in Vol. V of this series. 1 R R-VOL XI, PT III 3 |
