THE SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN.

457

It became very apparent, therefore, considering the situation in which theArmy of the Potomac and the Army of Virginia were placed in relation toeach other and the absolute necessity of harmonious and prompt cooperationbetween them, that some militarysuperior both of General McClellan and myself should be placed in gen-eral command of all the operationsin Virginia, with power to enforcejoint action between the two armieswithin that field of operations. Gen-eral Halleck was accordingly calledto Washington and assigned to thecommand-in-chief of the army, Athough Mr. Stanton was opposedto it and used some pretty stronglanguage to me concerning GeneralHalleck and my action in the mat-ter. They, however, establishedfriendly relations soon after Gen-eral Halleck assumed command.

The reasons which induced me,in the first instance, to ask to berelieved from the command of theArmy of Virginia, as heretofore set forth, were greatly intensified by theretreat of General McClellan to James River and the bitter feelings andcontroversies which it occasioned, and I again requested the President torelieve me from the command and permit me to return to the West. Theutter impossibility of sending General McClellan anything like the reen-forcements lie asked for, the extreme danger to Washington involved insending him even a fraction of the small force under my command, and theglaring necessity of concentrating these two armies in some judicious man-ner and as rapidly as possible, resulted in a determination to withdraw theArmy of the Potomac from the James River and unite it with the Army ofVirginia. The question of the command of these armies when united wasnever discussed in my presence, if at all, and I left Washington with thenatural impression that when this junction was accomplished General Halleckwould himself assume the command in the field. Under the changed conditionof things brought about by General McClellan ’s retreat to James River, and

BRIGADIER-GENERAL CHARLES S. WINDER, C. S. A., KILLEDAT CEDAR MOUNTAIN. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

•fe The first step toward calling General Halleckto Washington appears in the President’s tele-gram of July 2d asking if he could not come“for a flying visit.” On the 6th, Governor Spraguewas sent to him at Corinth, on a confidential mis-sion, arriving there on the 10th. Meanwhile thePresident had visited General McClellan and re-ceived from his hands the Harrison’s Bar letter.On the 11th, General Halleck was appointed Gen-eral-in-chief. Mr. Chase says in his diary (see“Life and Public Services of S. P. Chase,” byVOL. II. 30

J. W. Schuckers, p. 447) that he and Mr. Stanton“ proposed to the President to send Pope to theJames and give [Ormsby M.] Mitchel the commandof the front of Washington. . . . The Presidentwas not prepared for anything so decisive, and sentfor Halleck and made him Commander-in-chief.”Secretary Welles says (“ Lincoln and Seward,” p.

191): “Pope also . . . uniting with Stanton

and General Scott in advising that McClellan shouldbe superseded and Halleck placed in charge ofmilitary affairs at Washington.”— Editors.