October 8, 1862, The New York Herald
General McClellan has issued an order to the Army of the Potomac relative to the late emancipation proclamation of the President, in which he states that it is the first duty of the soldier to obey the civil authorities as represented by the Executive, who is charged with the administration of federal laws. While not seeking to restrict the right of discussion, upon all public questions, in the camps, he recommends that it may be restrained within proper limits, and confined to the respectful expression of opinion. He reminds them that the remedy for political errors is to be found at the polls, and adds: ‘In thus calling the attention of his army to the true relation between the soldiers and the government, the general commanding merely adverts to an evil against which it has been thought advisable during our whole history to guard the armies of the republic, and in so doing he will not be considered by any right minded persons as casting any reflection upon that loyalty and good conduct which has been so fully illustrated upon so many battle fields. In carrying out all measures of public policy this army will, of course, be guided by the same rules of mercy and Christianity that have ever controlled its conduct towards the defenceless.’
Some activity is manifested by our army on the Upper Potomac, which in all probability precedes a vigorous movement and an approaching battle.
Advices from Frederick state that recent reconnoissances have established the fact that General Lee is rapidly falling back towards Richmond. A detachment from General Sumner corps drove in the rebel pickets at Charlestown on Sunday, and it is evident that the retreating enemy is to be closely followed up.
A deserter from the Second Virginia cavalry, Mumford brigade, captured near Fairfax Court House, states that General Jo. Johnston is to supersede General Bragg in Kentucky. He says that he heard rebel officers admit the loss of the rebels at Antietam to be 16,000 killed and wounded and 4,000 prisoners. According to his statement the rebel army is located thus: Mumford’s brigade, of from nine hundred to ten hundred cavalry, is between Warrenton and the springs. The force at Culpepper Court House, now commanded by General Jo. Johnston, consists of three divisions, one of them commanded by General Gustavus W. Smith, another by General Horton; the name of the other division commander he did not know. The force under Lee at Winchester, he says, numbers one hundred and eighty thousand men, and is being reinforced; but this is evidently too high an estimate.
We learn from Cumberland, by way of Baltimore, that the rebel artillery chief Imboden’s entire wagon train of supplies, together with two pieces of artillery, fifty prisoners and a quantity of small arms, were captured yesterday by our troops, and that General McReynolds was pursuing the enemy up the Great Cacopan river.
The grand victory at Corinth receives confirmation daily. Further despatches from General Grant, dated at noon on Monday, state that Generals Hurlbut and Ord came up with the flying enemy on Sunday, and drove them five miles back across the Hatchie river towards Corinth, thus completely cutting them off. They captured this attack two rebel batteries, 300 prisoners and a quantity of small arms. Upon General Grant informing General Rosecrans of these facts he received a despatch from the latter, at Chevalla, in these characteristic and satisfactory terms: ‘The enemy are totally routed, throwing everything away. We are following sharply.’ So much for the battle of Corinth. The results that are certain to follow it will not only be felt with wholesome effect in Mississippi but in Kentucky and Virginia. Despatches from Cairo received last night say that the rebel loss in this battle was eight hundred killed and from fifteen to eighteen hundred wounded. We lost only three hundred killed and one thousand wounded. We took fifteen hundred prisoners at Corinth and three hundred on the Hatchie river. Colonel Ogleby is reported to have died of his wounds. The rebels lost two generals, Martin and Rogers.
The rebels in Missouri appear to be faring no better than their comrades in Mississippi. Gen. Schofield made an attack upon them at Newtonia, a town fifty-four miles south of Springfield, on Saturday last, and thoroughly routed them after a fight of two hours. From this point he pursued them, and was expected to provoke another battle next day, but no further accounts of his movements have reached us. The rebels were said to be fifteen thousand strong.