FROM THE PENINSULA TO ANTIETAM.

55 2

for the reason that its presence at Harper’s Ferry would not hinder the enemyfrom crossing the Potomac; that if we were unsuccessful in the approachingbattle, Harper’s Ferry would be of no use to us and its garrison necessarilywould be lost; that if we were successful we would immediately recover thepost without any difficulty, while the addition of ten thousand men to theactive anny would be an important factor in securing success. I addedthat if it were determined to hold the position the existing arrangements wereall wrong, as it would be easy for the enemy to surround and capture thegarrison, and that the garrison ought, at least, to be withdrawn to the Mary-land Heights , where they could resist attack until relieved.

The Secretary was much impressed by what I said, and asked me to accom-pany him to General Halleck and repeat my statement to him. I acquiesced,and we went together to General Halleek’s quarters, where we found that hehad retired for the night. But he received us in his bedroom, when, after apreliminary explanation by the Secretary as to the interview being at hisrequest, I said to Halleck precisely what I had stated to Mr. Seward.

Halleck received my statement with ill-concealed contempt—said thateverything was all right as it was; that my views were entirely erroneous,etc., and soon bowed us out, leaving matters at Harper’s Ferry preciselyas they were.

On the 7th of September, in addition to the three corps already mentioned(the Second, Ninth, and Twelfth), the First and Sixth Corps, Sykes’s divisionof the Fifth Corps, and Couch ’s division of the Fourth Corps, were also onthe Maryland side of the river ; the First and Ninth Corps at Leesboro ; theSecond and Twelfth in front of Rockville; the Sixth Corps at Rockville ;Couch ’s division at Offutt’s Cross Roads; Sykes’s division at Tenallytown.

As the time had now arrived for the army to advance, and I had receivedno orders to take command of it, but had been expressly told that the assign-ment of a commander had not been decided, I determined to solve the ques-tion for myself, and when I moved out from Washington with my staff andpersonal escort I left my card with P. P. G. written upon it, at the WhiteHouse, War Office, and Secretary Seward’s house, and went on my way. A

I was afterward accused of assuming command without authority, fornefarious purposes, and in fact I fought the battles of South Mountain andAntietam with a halter around my neck, for if the Army of the Potomac hadbeen defeated and I had survived I would, no doubt, have been tried for assum-ing authority without orders, and, in the state of feeling which so unjustlycondemned the innocent and most meritorious General F. J. Porter, I wouldprobably have been condemned to death. I was fully aware of the risk I ran,but the path of duty was clear and I tried to follow it. It was absolutelynecessary that Lee’s army should be met, and in the state of affairs I havebriefly described there could be no hesitation on my part as to doing itpromptly.. Very few in the Army of the Potomac doubted the favorable

^■General MeClellan’s orders from the 1st to the 8th of September, inclusive, are dated “Head-quarters, Washington .” On the 9th he resumed the heading, “ Headquarters, Army of the Potomac,”at Rockville.—E ditors.