St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-07-17
MoClellanism. =

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tho whole army, one year ago, boeause, sd
fir as We could learn, he had been in conf
mand of the Western Virginia army, the
two wings of which. under; other. eomman-
ders, won several victories when Ia, with
his centre oontrived to coma up il time to
send the dispatches. For these wonder
full achievements he was put in command
of the en- tire forces Of the United States,
and people shouted hosanna in the high
est to the acts Of daring he was yet to per-
form. All through the latter part of last
summer and early autumn he was "getting
ready" to strike a tremendous blow, by
digging bitches; and folks waited and be-
lieved. Late in the autumn the roads
grew muddy; for, making roads had been
no part Of his plan CT getting ready. Then
folks opened their eyes in blank astonish-
ment as if this was most wonderful &C.
currance-never had been any mud seen
in those parts up 70 that time and how
could mortal man be expected to provide
against such an unheard of contingency
Would you have an army advance through
fathe mless depths Of mud? So General
Mcclellan became Gen. Stick in-thc-mud,
and his worshipcrs bowed down to their
miry divinity, with renewed adoration.-
When spring came and it was found that
he and his grand army had been kept
in the mud by few wooden guns, it was
still all right. The fact that he had squan-
dered millions of the public funds and
lost thousands Of men by sickness, believ-
ing that the enemy before him was i'm
pregnably entrenched, when he might have
known the facts if he had pleased to ad-
nit information, rather added to bis glo-
ry. When Secretary Stanton drove him
off the Potomac he took his men to the
Yorktown peninsula; and, set them to Dig
cling more bitches. After he had sp.ded
away there until he had buried more than
ten thousand Of his men from sickness,
principally brought on by exposure and
fatigue in this unaccustomed spade exercise,
the enemy he was trying to capture got up
and walked off at their LEISURE leaving
him his precious entreuchments. In pur-
suing them portion of his army was>sur-
prised by superior numbers, at Williams
burg, and only the determined bravery Of
the men saved that portion of the army
from humiliation. He went on to Rich
mond; and, twenty miles back renewed his
digging operations. People were impa-
ticnt, but Mcclellan was getting read y
digging his way to Richmond. He was
slow to be sure but then, he was certain
fate-so cautious in making advances
that going backward became impossible
"A year ago he had assured his army that
there was to be "No MORE RETREATS, NO
MORE DEFEArs!" True, there had been
something of a scramble al Balls Bluff,
but he was in no way to blame. While he
was filing the country with bitches por-
ton of his army was surprised at Fair
Oaks "by superior numbers as usual; and,
as usual, was saved by the individual brav-
cry Of the men; and he dug on towards
Richmond. His worshipers confidently
predicted that he would take it in just the
right time, and when he got ready, and
while the country waited day by day to
hear of the capture of the rebel capital,
here comes the news that he is attacked
and driven from his entertainments, back,
back nineteen miles.
With any other commander this would
have been great misfortune; but, with
Mcclellan it was only part Of his pro-
gramme of getting ready. 1t left him
just where he wanted to be. Folks had
been mistaken in supposing he wanted te
90 to Richmond! Not bit of it. Back
on James river under cover of the gunboats
was the point he was aiming for, and on.
ly by the most wonderful generalship had
he gained it Well, instead of staying in
these desirable quarters he is five miles
out of them-back on the road h, came
and this too is another evidence Of hi<
inscrutable wisdom.
That he was driven from his post is nc
fault of his. Staunton did not send him
achievements.
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