The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991, 1862-11-15
Removal of General Mcclellan.

telegraph, OF the removal from command Vi
the Federal army in Virginia, of General
Mcclellan. 1t is Of course quite within the
province of the President to make change
of officers in any department of the army
but the circumstances surrounding this Off
Ger, render it equally natural that people
should speculate upon the causes that have
induced it. 1t has for long time been well
known that a powerful interest has been
urging the displacement of General McClel-
Ian. 1t was understood that he was to all
intents and purposes removed from active
service in September last, but when the de-
iec,ed and broken columns came sragging
into Washington, after the series of battles
in the vicinity of Bull Run, under Pope, and
demanded the reinstatement of Mcclellan, ,
the President solicited, and he consented
again to accept the command.
So far as the country has been informed,
all his movements since that have been emil
nently successful. Antietam, we are told,
was the most brilliant victory of the war;
he drove the rebels out of Maryland with
great slaughter 1t is now said that he has
permitted the army of Gen. Lee to escape
him, but We are not aware that he or any
body else ever had any reasonable hore of
enrapping it. The enemy were withdraw
inc from before his divisions, but that cir
cumstance by no means proves that he will
not give battle when he feels secure in doing
so. We will not pretend to the skill in
managing a campaign, that undoubtedly
belongs to Mr.. Lincoln, and the editors Of
the Abolition papers, but if it should turn
out that our army is obliged to fight at
disadvantage, desperate battle near Cor
louisville, these gentlemen will not be so
certain about the skeiaadling Of Lee.
There are two points Of character in which
Mcclellan has shown himself superior to
any other officer in the army. He can or
ganize and discipline an army, quicker and
more perfectly than any other man. In
his operations in the fell, he has his army,
with all its yastness, always well in hand.
If he has not the flashing genius of the
great Bonaparte, the world must neverlhe-
less concede to him, those two great essen
tas of general. Ad to this the fact that
the army is evidently strongly attached to
him personally. Pope was bis first success
or, but the short and most disastrous career
of this officer showed that he possessed none
of these qualities, nor any other to counter
balance the deficiency in that respect.
Gen. Burnside is his present successor.
OF this officer the country knows but little.
He is probably good Brigalier, but is yet
uutried in the vaster field of great cam
paign. In his campaign to North Carolina,
nothing TRANSFERRED to mark him as man
of extraordinary genius. 1t was even said
that his successes there were the result of
following closely the plans and orders given
him by Mcclellan.
There is not, therefore, anything in the
military career of either the one or the
other, to warrant this change, and we must
look to other causes for a kew to this new
arrangement. The friends of Mcclellan say
it is for political reasons he is removed and
Burnside to supercede him, and in truth
there seems some ground for the assertion.
Governor Bradford of Maryland, says that
at Altoona it was proposed by one of the
Governors to remove Mcclellan from COM
mand. This we know has been denied, but
there are too many reasons for giving credit
to Bradford. Mcclellan. we know, has new.
er given any more than soldiers acquies
ence to an order, to the Presidents proca-
nation of the abolition of slavery. He
thus shows himself not the man to carry
out this work Some man who has the
policy Of the aboliionists more at heart
must replace him, this man they find in
Burnside. In a speech made Just before his
expedition sailed for Pamlico Sound, after he
had been made Major General, he said
"If that slavery which has been the very cause
of the war shall really prove, it is now
thought to be, positive source Of beligerent
strength to the enemy, for one would wish to
see it swept away. If one part of our system be
bad, in order to the rest let destroy that
bad part. 1t would be poor gcneralshp to leave
either positive or latent source of strength un
touched. | feel especially gratifed. then, tn II
our troops have made Judgment in the very
heart of the enemy's country-in the very sea
of the evil. For one have charge Of weighty
command, and | cannot assume the response
bilty without putting myself upon sound plat
form. But the Government must be sustained a
all hazards"
We take no partizan view of these mat
tiers, but merely suggest this as a solution o
the enigma, which so puzzles our fellow cili
zens. The President seems determined tina
no obstacle shall interfere with this most ex
treme policy of his party.