The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-05-09
Savage Attack ON Gen. Mcclellan.

Young Napoleon is dead-dead beyond
resurrection. In the flesh he may still
walk the earth but in the spirit, in power,
in the hope Of glory he is defunct. 1t is a
hullaboos over this person have ceased in
Yankee land. For two or three months af-
ter his dismissal he was the pet object of
Democratic pity and conservative" SYM
pathy; but even Beast Butler has grander
ovations than he. His name is seldom
heard among men. He is no more.
A review of his career, from the time he
ter at Rich Mountain, down to the time of
the battle of Antietam, would beinstructive
to the nation of liars who accepted him at
his own lying valuation, and discarded
him because his falsehoods, gigantic as
they were, produced no visible impression
on the rebellion. 1t might also profit the
Confederacy to trace in the career of this
braggart, the, overriding power which has
never failed to darken the counsels of the
wicked, and to cause all things to work to-
gether for good in bealf of the just cause
Nothing is easier of proof than that the ele-
walton Of Mcclellan to the position of Com
manger-in- Chief of the Yankee army, was
all that was needed, after the election of
Lincoln to insure our independence. The re-
cital of a few facts will show how greatly
we are indebted to him.
the most overwhelming array Of field artil-
lery that had ever been seen on this contin-
ent. Before him was an army of 40 ,000
Confederates, occupying Mason's and
Munson's hills, and defiantly daring him
to come outside of his Notifications. The
roads were good, the weather splendid he
had but to advance in force to gain an easy
victory. So, at least, thought his master
Lincoln. But he knew his men were COW.
Ic y,o froi1 IF hiS tot -
He did not want to fight; he sought merely
to push US from one position to another by
dint of enormous numbers. Hence the
flank movement by way Of Leesburg
which ended SO horribly and benumbeo
him with fright for three months.
Driven by an imperative order to adj
vance again, in spite of the winter mud, he
entered the entrenched camp at Manassas
only to find it a mass Of smouldering.ruins
He whipped around to the Peninsula
taking with him l12,O men. Magrudel
opposed him with but 7 800 men, kept hin
in check, and forced him to the spade ant
pick - his favorite weapons. He mad,
siege, and in due time occupied our de
serted lines. The battle of Williamsbur.
followed. His advance was whipped b,
{ Johnson's rear guard; but owing partly t.
!, the ignorance OF the country and to tn
! bad handling Of some of our troops. he wa
, enabled to gain enough advantage on on
wing to put some conceit into his men. III
| acknowledged, however, that at one time
looked as if the Bull Run rout was to b
/ enacted over again.
, After this battle, an eventoccnrred whic]
has been forgotten, but deserves now to b
recalled. A Confederate surgeon, left il
charge of the wounded, told Mcclellan tina
, his gunboats might possibly reach Rich
|. lmond, but that his infantry never would
The little Napoleon smiled, as if in pity {
, the surgeons ignorance. The sturgeon toll
!, further, that the Abolitionists were maxim