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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 1962)
MONDAY, JUNE 18. 19S2 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON 6 A Iff-' X Ir-iT nm. CIVIL WAR' 0 N PENINSULA - Two untried generals faced each other across the swamps of the Chickahominy river on the Virginia penin sula in June, 1862 - George B. McClellan for the Union, and Robert E. Lee for the Confederacy. Not only did the career of each hang in the balance, the Civil War itself might be decided on that swampy strip of land. McClellan had a bigger army. It was better fed, better equipped, and bet ter uniformed. He outgunned Lee. Yet he was edgy and kept bombarding Washington with requests for more troops. He thougnt Lee had more than 200,000 men. His mis information came from detective Allan Pinkerton, lower left, who seemed to find three Confederates where only one existed. Lee, top right, had a secret weapon-Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson and his army from the Shenandoah Valley. The two began to move, and the stage was set for the Seven Days' Battle. The background for these men. as shown here, is one of the swamps of Virginia where the armies clashed. (UPI) Generals Make Battle Plans By MERTON T. AKERS United Press International Two untried generals faced each other across the swamps of the Chickahominy river in the peninsula of Virginia In June 1862 - George B. Mc Clellan for the Union and Robert E. Lee for the Con federacy. Both were West Pointers, both had served in the Mex ican War, both were compet ent engineers, both command ed the biggest armies of their countries, but neither was blooded yet in the Civil War. The career of each hung in the balance those humid June days. What happened in the bogs east of Richmond, the Conled erate capital. In the next few weeks might decide the out come ot the Civil War. A decisive victory by the Union Army of the Potomac would lay Richmond open to capture. And if McClellan could crush Lee's army in ad dition, the blow to the young Confederacy might well be mortal. If Lee could repulse McClellan's army and strike it a heavy blow, the South might well go on to independ ence. Not Evenly Matched McClellan, the 35-ycar old son of a Pennsylvania physi cian, seemed to have the edge on Lcc, the 55-year old Vir ginia aristocrat, in the strug gle to come. His army was slightly big ger - about 100,000 men to 85,000 men. It was better equipped, better fed, better uniformed. He outgunned Lee. He had been a year putting his army together, welding the fragments that had treated from Bull Run with new troops into an organized, well-drilled force complete to spare wheels for the ammuni tion wagons. What remained now for Mo Clellan was to put this army Into action All the North waited and watched. It had been waiting a year for this momcni. Newspaper dispatches which told of forward Union troops being within four and a half miles of the Richmond city limits, the church spires in In sight, whetted the anticipa guns, shell the city and carry it by assault. I speak very confidently but if you could see the faces of the troops as I ride among them, you would share my confidence. They will do anything I tell them to do. I could not help laughing when, on the day of the last battle, I was riding along in front, a man jumped out in an interval of cheering and addressed me quite fam iliarly, saying 'Halloo George! How are you? You are the only one of the whole crowd of generals that is worth a Lee Watchei Behind the Richmond trenches, Lee, like the North, also was waiting and watching enemy . . . You should appoint the hour . . . He could be ready for battle June 25. Longstreet suggested he take another day. Jackson agreed to June 26 Then Lee reappeared and accepted the schedule. Jackson found the head of his 18,500-man army at Bea ver Dam, 26 miles from the point where he was to start the battle. Normally 26 miles was a day's march for Jackson's men. Normally Jackson would have pressed his men through that June 24. But that day Jackson lost his drive and his army straggled. On June 25, Jackson was back in form. He rode along McClellan. He had tnken corn- the lines pressing his men mand of the gray army on June 1, the day after Gen Joseph E. Johnston had been wounded at the stand-off bat tle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines). The first move he made was to give the army a name the Army of Northern Vir ginia - a name that he and his men would make famous in the next three years. The sec ond move was to entrench, reviving his "King of Spades a m. nickname. Then he sent Brig. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry around McClellan's army on a recon naissance - and confirmed his suspicion that McClellan's right wing north of the Chick ahominy river was lightly held. Lee determined to strike the Federal right, turn it and threaten the Union supply line This plan was something lkie Johnston had attempted at Fair Oaks on the south side of the river. Lee had a weapon that Johnston had lacked - Stone wall Jackson and his army from the Shenandoah Valley, a unit which had Just defeated three Federal armies, and si phoned off Federal troops in tended for McClellan The Southern commander outlined his plan to Jackson on June 11 But the mud was deep, the streams swollen, and the fa mous "foot cavalry" slowed to a slogging pace By dark Jackson was six miles short of his Jump-off po sition. He advised Lee of the de lay, ordered the army to move at 2:30 a.m. and tried to get some sleep. But it was 8 a.m. - not 2:30 the next day when the army moved. Also the cle ment of surprise was gone be cause of the deserted. The stage was set for the Seven Days' battle and Jack son was late. tion. To a seemed as good as won. Faulty Information McClellan was edgy as the climax came nearer. He bom barded Washington with tele grams demanding more troops He thought the Con federates had 200,000 men and were bringing up more. This information he was get ting from detective Allan Pinkerton, his intelligence chief, who cuuld find three Confederates where only one existed The general was particular ly upset when the Federal corps of about 40.000, com manded by Maj. Gen. lrvin McDowell, the loser at Bull Run, was held in northern Virginia against the threat of Maj. Gen. Thomas J. (Stone wall) Jackson toward Wash ington via the Shenandoah Valley. This corps, McClellan complained, was to have been his right wing. McClellan was more confi dent in letters to his wife than he was to Washington. On June 14 he wrote to her: "As soon as I gain posses sion of 'Old Tavern' I will push them in upon Richmond and behind their works; then I will bring up my heavy Plant Laid ". . . Leave your enfeebled troops to watch the country . . ." Lee wrote, "and with your main body . . . move Government Property Sale Set in Seattle Bids for items in a govern ment property sale will be opened at the business serv ice center. 900 "irst ave., Se attle 4. Wash., at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) June 26 Offered for sale from this aiea are a 1051 Ford dump (ruck, a motorize' Caterpil lar road grader, and a Ritu men heater. The equipment may be inspected by contact ing Basil G. Curtis, National Park service, Ciatcr Lake Na tional park. Inspections may be made between June 18 and June 22. Labor Continues To Seek Shorter Veekal Same Pay By WILLIAM J. EATON United Press International Washington (UPH Ameri cans are workirg les and en joying it more. Peter Hcnle, special assist ant to the Commissioner of Labor Stastitics, has calcula ted that in I960 the average worker had about 155 hours more paid leisure time a year than he did 20 years earlier. About half of this - 75 hours - represented a gradu al decline of 15 hours in the average work week. The rest was made up by an additional six days paid vacati on and four more paid holidays. Henle, writing in the Monthly Labor Review, said the future trend probably would stress an increase In the number of days off rather than further reductions in the hours spent each day at work. The revolutionary reduc-! tion in the working week was pointed up last winter in New York City where 9,000 elec tricians won a five-hour day, 25-hour week. With that precedent set, two New York construction unions representing nearly 20,0000 workers now are seek ing something similar. Seek Short Week The city's labor commis sioner, Harold A. Velix, said 6,000 members of a plumbers and pipefitters union are ask ing a 25-hour work week. A 12,000-man bricklayers, masons and plasterers union is seeking a six-hour day. Both unions now have a seven-hour day. In his report, Henle said that for the economy as a whole there has been an In crease of more than 10 billion hours in additional leisure time since the 1940's. This, in turn, has shifted family living patterns and stimulated more widespread travel, sports and recreation activity. The new Steelworkers' con tract may influence other un ions to seek more leisure time for their members'. The steel contract set up a fund to pro vide an additional week of va cation for each two years worked after 1960. Upon retirement, a worker would get one extra week of vacation pay for each five years of service through 1960, so long as funds are available. The aim is to encourage earlier retirements and longer vacations to open up more job opportunities In the in dustry. It may provide a "breakthrough" that other unions will follow. i Board Rulings 1 Henle said the Increase in vacation and holiday time stems partly from" War Labor 1 board rulings during World War II. The board held that as i many as six paid holidays could be granted within wage stabilization regulations. Now, Henle said, the aver age in major American indus tries is about seven holidays a year, wilh up to 11 granted by banks and financial insti tutions. According to Henle, the trend has been to make arbi trary "holidays" around Christmas and Thanksgiving to provide longer weekends away from jobs. As far as vacations are con cerned, Henle said practic ally all office and plant work ers in big city areas now re ceive paid vacations. This compares to one out of four unionized workers who re ceived paid vacations in 1940, he said layman, Richmond rapidly to Ashland (about 15 miles north of Richmond on the Richmond & Fredericks burg railroad) by rail or other wise . . . and sweep down be tween the Chickahominy and Pamunkey, cutting the ene my's communications, etc., while this a, my attacks Gon ers McClellan In front. He wil thus, I think, he forced to come out of his entrench-1 ments. In another message, he wrote: "To be efficacious, the movement must be secret." The admonition hardly was needed, Jackson never even told his preacher-chief of staff! about his plans. But a desert-i er knew the plans, and promptly tipped off (he Union headquarters. Lee went over his plans ; with his generals - James) Longstreet, A. P. Hill, Jack son and D. H. Hill - sod left . the leaders to discuss the de tails. Timing was important if Lee's plan was to succeed The ' position of Jackson's troops at the start was the key ; Longstreet turned to Jack son: "You have distance (o over come, and In all probability ROSE WINS Salem -HIPP- Mrs. Bernard Leonard, Portland, won the Gov. Mark Hatfield Trophy at the 17th annual Salem Rose Show here Friday. 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Mk, ,o.e, 7S9c BRUSSEL SPROUTS 7SOc n':v:i-nffi-n SALAD OIL W ONE QUART With Coupon Limit One Per Family TENDER, LEAN DflDK tTFAtft h VDill tflhKIW Center Cuts W M lb. Country Style Pork Sausage 3 lbs. 1.15 Only the Nice LEAN, YOUNG, PICNIC STYLE DflDK DflAW 1e I VIUl 1 I 10 lb. Sharp Cheddar Cheese 59c lb. ARMOUR'S SLICED HM jfvliTTIff Bacon Ends & Pieces... Q lbs. Center Cut Ham Slices 89c lb. WESTGATE BAKERY Glazed Do-nuts Danish Pastry 3 fo 19' 59doi Watermelons Potatoes rr 25-8 Apples BrL 3 2 f I Women'. Cucumbers 32 Shop and Save at Westgate THRIFT DEPARTMENT Anchor Hocking Glass Ware Ice Tea Glasses 6 for I. CO Water or Juice Glasses 10c each Juice Chillers 39c each Iced Tea Pitchers, 85 oz 79c We Give- Cr ry Plus Savings! Prices Effective Through Wednesday - Medford Stores Only WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITY nr WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER OUT WEST MAIN AT ROSS LANE 13TH and CENTRAL i
