Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-04-11
General Mcclellan and the Ad-
minlStratiOn,

P"phS"n uu'uWNHto btOPala'oly w thV
presidential campaign Of 1854, which has
just been been issued in the name of a
Joint Congressional Committee by Sena-
tor Wade, Of Ohio. This document pro-
fesses to be a report on the conduct Of the .
war, But while the Important operations !
at the West the achievements of RoSccrans
and the non achievements of HaNeek, the !
Numerous expediti ons hurled against va
rious points Of the confederate coast, and
the great part played by the navy, are
dismissed in vague and general terms of
corelessly commonplace laudation, the
course and conduct of General Mcclellan,
the founder and commander of the Army
Of the Potomac, are dwelt upon as the sum
of the military history of the past two
years, and subjected, not indeed to any
thing like full and judicial examination,
but to sustained minute and malignant
assault. The report is simply passion
ate partisan Indictment of General NJ Clel-
Ian as the responsible author of all the
military misfortunes which have attended
our successive campaigns in Virginia. 1t
resumes and condenses every charge
which faction and folly have ever advanced
against this commander. To deal with it
as justice and the truth ofhistory demand
would be to exhaust the patience of our
readers by reslaying hundred slanders
already thrice stricken down it would
be to do what the committee have left ut
terly undone, to set forth the documentary
evidence Of the whole course of events for
two years in lucid and orderly array
This, however, it is happily unnecessary
for us to do. The authors of this report
were evidently left ignorant BY the War
: Department of the existence OF many of
General McClellsn's most important tele
grams and dispatches, as well as of his
preliminary reports Of tho leading actions
, ofthe war and il is not surprising, there
= fore, that they should have been equally
uniformed of the fact that his full and
j minute narrative of the whole history oi
the Army of the Potomac is actually upon
the point Of passing into the hands Of the
government The country, which has in
tercst, in this matter quite beyond the con.
IS ception of partisan iutrguos, will avail
L this narrative before fixing finally upor
- those whom its fearful weight is destined
. to crush into everlasting shame the terri
. Bile responsibility Of the blunders and tn,
procrastinations which have cost us tn,
lives Of thousands of our brothers, whicI
II have loaded tho industry Of the natiol
n n with still accumulating burdens, which hav
l. put in peril the honor and the very exs
s, ,ence Of the republic,
y Meanwhile, however, and upon the faitl
=, Of this hot and hastv reror. ;.aAlf, abe al
t ministraton stands iorw ard to exonerat
General Mcclellan, at least, from respon
l. slbiIity in that supreme crisis of event
or which compelled the aband donment of til
Is seige of Richmond after the thunder G
=" our guns had shaken the standard of tn
g confederates upon the very walls of thei
ID defant capital.
Us On the night Of the 2Sth of June 1862
u General Mcclellan found himself cale
III upon TO elect between a retreat in the fac
O. Of an enemy superior in numbers and tn
risk of the complete annihlation of th
finest army of the Union. A more cruc
alternative was never imposed upon
. soldier and patriot. How bravely wa
- it met, how wisely decided, our children
- children will read with clearer eyes tha
- :, ours, and honor with more liberal heart
:. the young general who resolved that aw
-, full question with no thought or care bu
for his country had given into his charge
~ When the die was cast the report tells II
that General Mcclellan sent to the Secre
70 tary of War telegram stating his con
=. victions 'that the Government had nc
u sustained the army This telegam M,
- Stanton, evidently did not think it well t
ri submit for inspection to Mr. Wade an
a. his colleagues. The country would lik
), to see it will no doubt ere long be permit
- ted to see it, and will then more fully ar
=. preciate the reply "L you haze had
- dru,0n battle, or a "repulSe, ii is The pric
- zoe pay for tie enemy "nOt 6ei0g Il
>. WashagtOn. We protected "Washing
, ton and The enemy concentrated on yoa
Had ace strippea Washi"gt0n he ",com
n have bee" ,pon 'G Jefore tie uo2ps "sen
c0uIlhoUe got 10 yo1"
n In these few but most pregnant word
D. lies the triumphant vindication of Genera
a MoClelan's fame. These words confes
" all that the most impartial students of th