, 1861-07-29
GEORGE II. HTcCLELLAN.


i Warrington that Gen. McClellan was ordcre
70 command the aTAy OF the Potona1c:: Th
:: game eaSietsct!on rs expressed he1e.f<I It m1
pe not only interesting but useful, in this IN
+ eIat that makes; the; confidence 90 nnrsualI; M
6 guished military leader. -' -
{: George B..MsCella1; the son Of an emtnen
Physician q Phliadelphie, was bora 10 tha
: or In 1842, he entered the West Point Acade
b my, and graduated In 1848, ut tho age of gwen
y, at the head OF his class. on the 1st o.
IVY, Of THIS year, his title was Brevet Second
! Tb!s vas q lie s Ps4iod % of, The Mexican war
and Mcclellan, about the age Of Alexande,
Hsm1lton when he began to show extraofdi
|, nary ability, Was called into active service
congress lA1ay IL, 1851 had passed IN aci
T. nontagsns 1outrg company Of e.ppefa, miners and
! Mcclellan Was made second lieutenant IN this
company. Col. Totten names, With Yarm an.
, probation, his great exertIous, with two otf.
. , e5s, n organizing and drilling this corps. Aa
were ct once put into course Of actiYe dill @
as antsntry and Of practical instruction in
; -msIicg the different materials used tn eiepes.
rnnni1g eaPs and forming pontoon bridges ;
and a,e. through the exertlons Of three officers
24), ee!entyone strong, the Colonel saws they
were "in admirable dlacipline.0 Thfs comma.
ny'Ess the first ordered 10 report to General
Taylor, and went to Camargo, but were fhen
ORDERED to conntermarch 10 Matamoras, and
move with the column Of Patterson Herr
captain Swift and nineteen men were 1eft IN.
ne: ne hospital, and f1om that time until few
days before the landing at Vera Cruz. the com.
pany vas under LieuL Smith, who had but
tha Gne o.her & oiifcer + Lieut.. Mcclellan. "During
from MatamoIas, the company; then reduced
70 osty;nVe electives, executed a great amount
oI' Rofk upon roads, fords, &c, % il did IN
proceeding, thence to Tampico, whcl Il
nf ISe M11a one company Of the Sd and one
Captain Henry, Of the Sd infantry; The de-
tailed reports of these. labors cxhibit the
greatcst efficiency and excellent discipline
9naer severe and trying circumstances, Lieut..
MeClellan, under bis command y
ColIotten, Ut Vera Cruz, saw this company,
noW ,HJcined BY its Captain, land with tie
i1I iist llhe on the beach under Gen Worth, and
9sTe atten Darng the Vera
great ex5r'ions and service Of this company. ID nv
animated by and emulatiDg the zeal and de-.
5otion Of its excellent officers Lieutenanfs
Smith, Mcclellan and Foster" Until The sur
render ct the Castle, Lieut.. Mcclellan was en-.
Gagged IN the most severe and trying duties.
N opening paths and roads to facilitate the IN.
xsslMent, N covering reconnoisauces and in
| M the unceasirg toll and hardship Of the trenches
he ne Total. Of the company Col. Totten
w m,;ss aass 80 s9 small and demands for its aid
nave been constantly on duty with scarcely
moment tor restand reffeahment," Cantain
oHA1Ras st1Il too III for such hhor5 and died
sopn Atef; bnt," J" Col. Totten remarks, ssthe
;aaa olner eMee1s directed the operations Of tie
eueh Is the plain and truthful record Of the !
eafneat var experience at the aga Of twenty, I
~ ~ ne noble soldier Who is now the GcneraI ~
n tne army Of the Potomac, and whose star Is
nAtu q II the American Constellation.
Eet the next stage forward be relstad in tba
emeiM words Of Col. Totten. aSeyere iabors
n,ls1 nfpnoHea me surrender Of Vera Cruz aud its
sSssiie, ana accompanied the march to the,
9alLie o. Cerfe Gordo, in which the con1nanT
,entpes so IN Tafions parts Of the field ga
Ja1apa with the advance Of Twises,s sd diTs}on s{ ~
and Puebla with the ADVANCE IF Wnrth;a'
nul1ng lhe pause at the latter place. the In.
sts1cslen ~! of the company in its appropriate
eaearsn ana exercises was resumed b3 its per.
vas given by all in the repairs Of the defsnces
1;a1ag M;a1Iehlng t1om Puebla with Gen. Twices's ii.
" s.s1@b,,Ae company Was Joined to GEN. Worfh
" "; cnalon, and arrived In front Of Sin Anto,
a;sted ine u d1Ln Of August having greatly
placed by the entny." ''t'o"'
.. Iee company on the 10Th Wes ordered t, |
1ake lhe head Of Gen. Pillows column At A. I
augnstiGe. The service Of the company yTas
tc's, Hc% nonie and i specified all along IN tie Of
e"an. Gen. ITlgge, on discovering his enemy in .
nnAtu1eliy strong position. with hreaatwor1a !
Jas Inas commanded approach in every direction.
Of Yhom nee ds saG engineers to rcconuoitcr ono
stopped by the Mexican plckets. ha1 t''e;s
uo1sea Ehot Under them, and we're compeIled
70 return: The action soon commencpdMtho
Ia. na.le OF Gonfreras in which Lieut.. AicCiei
de1ed T2s %ah M!ngrude battery, which ren-
a Mccaellan several times in bis official renorf
Gen; Iwtggs thus writes: t'Lient, G. b Mc.. I
Cleua1, after Lieut.. Calender was wonndad
tooh to,n eG1atge Of and managed the howitzsr Bat
rec1, re,y !Leat: Keno being detached with The
qecame go disabled as to require shelter Far ~
1lent: McC1ellan's efficiency and ea]lan.r1 in .
.1 LIS sna'i, present his name for the favnrn-
etg ~ con: !de1atien Of the Geae,alin Chtef" q
ser ~ a E1ehe q exposure to nitiless storm.
ne battles Of Churabusco; and thai fna '1tI, eni,
aier, Gen: Pe1sifer F. Smith. thu cnnn,stn. 49,
lna record Of Mcclellan Lieutenant r -
.n1t4, IN IN command Of the engineer company. r
,pebe mi I4s t,ems MeGei1an bis sabaltern, dsta.
ne three actions. Nothi5g seemed to theT y,
oo boia 10 be eundertaken, Of TOO djfIcn1t tn he
executed; and their services m cnr;no..e Do
fe It ths g1eaSe hea6 81 thGso
nh h. cnndnat nc meau o. tae1r gallant men" For G
|etted First Lieutenant &'A "A7 ote'
AeuIenant Mcclellan Was breyetted eanta,n
VI e44tant and meritofious conduct III fhe
s1t asE E Epattle, ~ Molino del Rey; bnt. decIi-
Z Ehepuifensc ie Sn nenie1aat an On the great day
am1og him with four others. used thass,
.olas :-"Ihose tiTe lieutenants of eneineera
m 'oa tne 2dmlration OF oil about themH Hts
ect;onp N the official reports, in con- Es
y the night Of the 11th Of September r1 ~
1nn'ae, 1ia nL'ee, and Lieutenanta Tower, Smith md
lcCle1nn, With company of sannars t1ara 1ua
Phlloyed in establishing batteries, aoafosf ee1
~ which wero actiyely served f1n. ~ ~
lore The s aasauif u lth) which was the day aa' a
',h u: e. tsCean & long before dasbreak Of
,g1peer Ine corps, thus says Of this mornina's da
owed to tSe o1eosk 1elo, party Of the sappers he
nna a It uncccupied. Lieut.. MCCLELLAN S. ad. Go
,eeed l with party into the Alamais. ena ~ fhf
'l.eo a. as daylight that no enemy wiz fn ha In,
: -. ~ ahe u isappers then moved forward. mad
hen tbcv two squares beyond theAl,m ida, Dc
IS Is, under senior Lieut. Smith, and Tai en. d
gss9i onrlng the day In street fighting nnfi, I
oeleck n the AFTERNOON, and partIcusnr fa1
! ~ nxea oseaXMing INTO houses with croWb1rs I
alan Inee had s1o1 Smith gays: "L:eut. 5Ic .arl
~ o1n =. ~ haa command Of . company for nee
ae y u .ae afternoon, while Lieutenant Sm;tb bel
= ., ee,Icning for powder to be used iu hlow. tia
= " houses tom which our troops hid | tbr,
~ nteu upon contrary to the usacas ~ Tht
:: lofing this time, while adyaucnc +ha CoD
= npaipy, ne reached q stroag positions hnt Viii
lEu Mms CIT opposed by large force of ~" thr,
sm} ne Ian conflict with thls f;,rce. .1r,ia, The
sea some time; but the advantage c1frred ~ hef,
Fosltlon enabled him at length tn ,ir;Ta 4 NJ.
oner having killed more than twenty oc ~ IS i
uch Is the official record Of Ncc,.1,,r :, Tia e
Us brilliant special service ~ conrer,,eJ t,or
=, however, can convey no lust ifica a.. tia Dyo,
q and eklll that are required. in ordnr fhaf : II
Ing nonor may be conferred on The connS Tn
conjv ,rnt,s aay LIE OF the officer TINT tion
OF Mcclellan is that it was So m,rtas ~. isr;i
~ uusungss ~ as 20 command respect and con.
~, nna aug 80 n4ed Wit. sympathy rs to WIN Fed
~. ~ T., t0te. IN such way be served his IT
ua5 t;,.oa u Menco. Chief Engineer Totem In Il
glSes N general his term Of seryiee.@ II
ent. Acclellan, on duty with the Eno;near Ninf
'pany IRON is organization at West Pant. teen
ae siege Of Vera Cruz, and in ali the hat, Fen1
ol Genefal SCOTS march to fha c;t,. ~ Fifff
,ico. Inc company LETT this citv MAJ ~ alen
malched to Vera Cruz, and a-riva3 -. whc,
't font on the 22ad Of June. a. have
eut. mcclellan was breyetted canta5r fo. ! witf7
4 aht ana me'itoEious conduct in tfie h1tt1e rens
h1lspna1epec, and the following wear fISiS3 max,
Sar1,o-o SoAtaHnoer a9.er OF Eals great company The
1appeIe, Miners aud Pontoniers- IL Rea;,
nued here Until 1851 h,,t r,{I;ta.s~s AI 80.