The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-10-24
The Famous Ke.rney Letter.

CLELLAN as failure but which letter the
friends of Gen. KEARNEY have pronunced
is a forgery. It will be seen that the letter is
one in which Gen. KEARNEY not onlybpeaks
CONTEMPORARY of MCCLELLAN, but harsh
ly and sneeringly of all the rest Of the gen.
erals with whom he was associated. It
does not contain good word for anybody.
Certainly its wholesale disparagement and
indiscriminate bitterness will detract large
ly from the influence it may have on the
public mind
| In spite of Gen. KEARNEY's assertion that
Gen. MCCLELLAN has ''lost the confidence
OF all, " it is a fact as well proven as any in
our current history, that, notwithstanding
| appearances have at times been strongly
| against him, he has, in a remarkable de-
| gree, the confidence of the masses of his
men, and the great majority of his officers
of all grades.
HARRIsoNs LANDING, Aug. 4, 1862.
DEAR PET thank you for your kind,
long letter. You extend to me hope. You
suggest withdrawing me and my division
out of the ignoble position. With Pope's
army would breathe again.
We have no Generals. Mcclellan is the
failure ever proclaimed him. He has
been punished, just as l at once compre-
hended the moves of the parties. He will
only get us in more follies, more waste of
blood, fighting by driblets. He has lost
the confidence of all. Nor has he single
officer about him capable of lettering us.
Sumner is "bull in a china Shop" and
sure enough blunderer. lost his
corps gratuitously at Fair Oaks. He is
not now in his right place, and will be
much worse. -- is small brain, os-
sitied in "a company" garrison on the
frontier. He was not "of us" in Mexico,
but in rear column once saw a distant
flash in a guerilla fight. His skill is a
myth, a poetical version Of his own part at
Bull Run. Porter is good in nature, but
weak as water-the apparent of this disas-
ter for his want of generalship on the
Chickahominy. and Franklin are
talented engineers. They might make
good generals, if they understood the value
of elements in their calculations, as it is
they are dangerous failures.
When - was drunk, he had some few
men drowned before Yorktown. I know
of West Point was most runaway picket
fight of ours. His part on the Chicka-
hominy was objectionable. He sent over
division (his OWN, was present on that
side, out Of fire, and never interfered to
prevent them from being sacrificed by drib-
lets, and rendered pray to their false po-
sition. 1 was Mortified at it, as described
by Gen. Taylor, and all others. Is it sur
prising that want to get out Of this mess?
Besides, they have sent me Major Gen.
eralship, like all these others, dating from
the 4th of July, muddled in batch of new
and very ordinary junior officers. Do they
forget that was appointed t,oe5fM on the
original list? That l, on the heels of Bull
Run, faced the enemy with Jersey bri-
gade in advance of all others, Mcclellan,
Mcdowell, ct id Ona,ae genus, nearly fore
ing me to come back of the Seminary"
Do they forget me at Manassas My Jer-
sey brigade that infected with panic the
retiring enemy? Has Williamsburg never
come to their ears? Oh, no! Ireally feel
aggravated beyond endurance. Discipline
becomes degrading ifnot welded with jus
tice. Patriotism, cannot, amid all her sac
ritices, claim that of seJf-respect. Generals,
victorious in the past, are not called upon
to expose their troops, unless those brave
men are acknowledged. Their identity in
their chiefs promotion, claims date of
their own high acts. Oh, no, | am nearer
returning to the home have given up, to
the interests have sacrificed, to my cher
ished wife, whose anxiety Expresses me,
than | ever dreamt of in a war for the
Union. But if the infatuated North are
weak enough to let this crisis be managed
by small men of small motives" am
not willing to be their puppet. 80.
My dear pet, am too lazy, and too lit
tie interested, to drive into the future of
this ''little box of heresies,'' so do tell me
what do the people at the north look
forward to in the future / fear lest the
war will die out in rapid imbecility. 81
For Mcclellan, he is burned out. Never
once on a battle field, you have nothing to
hope from him as leader of a column.
How do they expect Pope to beat, with
very inferior force, the veterans of Ewell
and jackson i? But these are episodes.
We deceive ourselves There was peo-
pie of Old-it was the warrior Spartan,
with his Helot of the field. The south
have realized it. There was an ambitious
people of recent times, and CONSUMPTION
pandered to her invasions. At this mo-
ment the south exemplifies them both.
''Peace, peace" but there is no peace.
No, not even with a disrupted Union. Let
the north cast away that delusion.
=. Draft we must, or the disciplined thous-
ands of the South will redeem scrip in Phil
adelphia, and yet the true North must
accept it, and quickly, to a man, or the
moment it draggles in debate Maryland,
Tennessee and Kentucky will cast past VIC
tories to the winds and rise with their
nearly allied rebel kin, My dear Pet, /
shall be delighted when Henry can come
on. AS to Col. Halstead, think that his
case is a type of the insane and unneces-
sary despotism introduced into the army,
under the auspices of Mcclellan and his
very weak aids. It is now too late, but
why was not the cavalry put in my charge
at the commencement Two nights ago
the rebel batteries fired from across the
river, and killed and wounded some thirty
men. Last night Hooker started ont on a