Lorenzo Thomas to Adjutant-General THomaAs and Major-General HITCHCOCK, April 2, 1862

Adjutant-General THomaAs and Major-General HITCHCOCK:

GENERALS: I beg leave to refer to you the following papers:

1st. The President’s War Meee No. 3, dated March 8, 1862.

2d. The reports of a council held at Headquarters, Fairfax CourtHouse, March 13, marked B.

3d. The President’s instructions to General McClellan, March 13, marked U.

4th. The reports of Major-General McClellan, dated on board the steamer Commodore, April 1, addressed to the Adjutant-General.

5th. The report of General Wadsworth as to the torces in his command, and upon examination, I desire you to report to me whether

the President’s order and instructions have been complied with in respect to the forces to be left for the defense of Washington and its security; and at Manassas; and if not, wherein those instructions have been departed from. Yours, truly,

Secretary of War.

Washington, D. C., April 2, 1862.

In compliance with your instructions we have examined the papers submitted to us and have the honor to make the following report:

1. The President’s War Orders, No. 3, dated March 8, requires that on taking up any new base of operations the city of Washington shall be left entirely secure. The other points of the order it is unnecessary to consider, as the enemy since its date have abandoned their positions and batteries on the Potomac and retired behind the Rappahannock.

2. The council of general officers held at Fairfax Court-House March sufficient to fully garrison the forts on the right bank of the Potomac and to occupy those on the left bank, with a covering force of 25,000. It is, we think, the judgment of officers that some 30,000 men would be necessary thus to man these forts, which, with the number of the covering force, would make a total of 55,000.

3. The President’s directions of March 13 to General McClellan direct—

1st. To leave such a force at Manassas Junction as shall make it entirely certain that the enemy may not repossess it.

2d. That Washington shall be left entirely secure.

3d. That the remainder of the army move down the Potomac or move in pursuit of the enemy.

In regard to occupying Manassas Junction, as the enemy have destroyed the railroads leading to it, it may be fair to assume that they have no intention of returning for the re-occupation of their late position, and therefore no very large force would be necessary to hold that position.

4, Major-General McClellan’s report to the Adjutant-General of April 1, after giving the several positions of the troops proposed to be left for the defense of Washington, gives a representation as follows :

At;Manassas, 88Y 2 Jos.0ce0) secrete sel dows cacilecacmtse mt enaoweteneae. Beemer 10, 859 In the valley of the Shenandoah… . ….-. 22. 2-222 cee cce ee none cee e cone ee 35, 467 Onithe Lower Potomac rss.) 5. 2: sale teens soon loons ceo eee ee ene 1, 350 Env tall 22642 3 SoS seals Saar Gbs alee cease eee toss nes see ee ee ceeee 55,

and there would be left for the garrisons and the front of Washington under General Wadsworth some 18,000.

In the above enumeration General Banks’ army corps is included, but whether this corps, operating in the Shenandoah Valley, should be regarded as part of the force available for the protection of the immediate front of Washington the undersigned express no opinion.

Cuar, XXIV.) GENERAL REPORTS.

5. General Wadsworth’s report of April 2 gives his force as follows :

InGaN GLY Pe ecncpemmemance ess tee eceeet cee cciac aereae ces taece ce cat cecite cece 15,

MYUUNGky Saae ee es tt oe ec ow ecunetae ce ueet AMeapa sabe, crcbe iecuateeseis cee. 4,294 Cavalry (six companies only mounted)………….. eacaisesmaniatentess

Deduct sick, in arrest, and confinement, …….. 22. 202 eeeeee cena ce wees cone 1,

otalsfor duty resect tat t< cust soee secs ste neo thos eee Ls eee 19,

From this force General Wadsworth is directed to detach two good regiments from Richardson’s division (Sumner’s corps), which should be deducted from his command; one regiment toreplace the Thirty-seventh New York in Heintzelman’s old division, and one regiment to relieve a regiment of Hooker’s division at Budd’s Ferry; total, four regiments. He is also ordered to send 4,000 men to relieve Sumner at Manassas and Warrenton.

General Wadsworth represents that he has no mounted light artillery under his command; states there are several companies of reserve artillery still here, but not under his command or fit for service.

General Wadsworth further reports that nearly all the force is new and imperfectly disciplined; that several of the regiments are in a very disorganized condition, some of them having been relieved from brigades which have gone into the field in consequence of their unfitness for service, the best regiments remaining having been selected to take their

‘ places. Two heavy artillery regiments and one infantry regiment which had been drilled for months in artillery service having been withdrawn from the forts on the south side of the Potomac and their places supplied with new infantry regiments entirely unacquainted with the duties of that arm and of little or no value in their present position.

If there was need of a military force for the safety of the city of Washington within its own limits that referred to in the report of General Wadsworth would seem to be entirely inadequate.

In view of the opinion expressed by the council of the commanders of army corps of the force necessary for the defense of the capital] though not numerically stated, and of the force represented by General McOlellan as left for that purpose, we are of opinion that the requirements of the President that this city shall be left “‘entirely secure,” not only in the opinion of the General-in-Chief, but that of the ‘commanders of the army corps” also, has not been fully complied with.

All of which is

respectfully submitted.