The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-02-06
The Portland Daily Press has the largest
regular circulation of any daily paper in
the city.
Gen. Mcclellan and his Abnsers.

the Journal has now discovered that it "would
be of good service to set Mcclellan to reorgan-
king eur armies again. The Press has also dis
covered within a few days, that General Nc
Oellan possesses "splendid talents,'' and re-
grets that the conniry loses the advantage of
them. The arrant hypocrite II Advertiser
For reasons obvious enough to keen-sight-
ed loyal men, there is class of politicians
and papers that for the past six months, have
made it their special business to laud and full
someiy praise GEO. B. MCCLELLAN, and to
abuse every man who has not readily sworn
by their idol and not only believed in him,but
done SO at the expense of every other General
in the field, and ofevery loyal man connected
with the Government. The Advertiser and
Argus of this city,-birds of the same feather
and dogs of the same kennel,-are the organs
of such politicians, and the, above extract from
the Advertiser is a sample of their unmanly
slang. We have no occasion TO notice the par
agraph itself farther than say, that, as far as it
represents the Press to have INDUCED in
'senseless and malicious attacks upon Gen.
Mcclellan" it is falsehood, gross, inexcusa-
BILE and malicious, uttered for no good purFose,
prompted by no regard or friendship for Nc
Clellan, tut onl5 the ooze and slime that nat
urally results from wicked, disoyal, internal
spirit, toward those who stand in its way, and
whose labors serve TO counterfeit its own evil
purposes. So much for the above item
Gen. Mcclellan has never been attacked in
our columns. The article published last sum-
mer, and which the Advertiser has over and
over again attributed to distinguished gen.
tleman of this city who stands connected with
the Judiciary, though an article we did not APP
prove at the time, and which we took occasion
at the time to disclaim,-even that article
made neither 'senseless" nor malicious
attack upon Mcclellan. 1t did express lack
Of confidence in him,-as any man had right
to dot expressed the opinion that his con-
nection with the interests of the Democratic
or anti-war party was prejudicial to his infu-
ence for good, ian idea in which we did not
then sympathize, and it criticised some of his
war policy, such as protecting rebel property.
returning runaway slaves etc.-which we then
thought and still think was, perhaps, carried
no farther than the usages of civilized warfare
ard the moral dsciplin of our own troops de-
manded,-but its language was not malicious,
nor could 1t, in any proper sense, be regarded
ar an "attack" upon the General referred to.
Then the article published in the Press con-
corning the army subsequent to the battle of
Antietam, signed portland" and which the
Argus, with its usual courtesy, suggested was
written in the Press Office by one OF the edit
ors,-even that article was kind in its tone
towards Mcclellan, though its kindness did
not blind the writer to the force offacts which
came under his own personal observation The
truth Is, the class of politicians referred to- in
order to account for the inexplicable inefficien-
cy and inactivity and immobity of the army
at that time, labored to throw the blame where
it did not belong, alleging that the soldiers
were ragged, without tents and barefooted,-
statements which our correspondent contra
dicted, and which have since beeu proved false
by official papers.
In fact, the allegations most unfavorable to
Mcclellan in both of the articles referred to-
land they are the only articles in the Press
that even the venal papers named have ever
charged with attacking him. were not, at the
time, charged by the Argus and Advertiser
charged with attacking President Lincoln
himself In that they complained of the mac
tivity Of General kept at the head of the army
BY him. Who has so soon forgotten the ieroc-
ity with which the Press was assailed, not for
its unkindness TO Mcclellan, but for its disloy-
atty to the administration!
And when was the ground of accusation
changed? At the time, precisely, when Gen.
Mcclellan was relieved of his command, and
Gen. Burnside was appointed to the command
of the army of the Potomac. Then it was
that the same papers and the same politicians
which had construed every word spoken by
republicans, untavorable to Mcclellan, into an
attack upon President Lincoln, suddenly
changed fronts, right-about-faced, and from
that time to this they have lost no opportun-
ty TO laud to the skies only one man, and he
the very man whom the President had remov-
ed;-thus proving their pretended respect for
the President a hollow sham, aud base I'M
truth.
In relation to Gen. Mcclellan our opinion
which Is of no consequence any way, in such
matters--remains precisely as it was before his
removal. We believe him to be a thoroughly
loyal man, man of almost matchless military
capacities in some departments of military
science, man of lovabe qualities, for whom
the soldiers who have fought under him, cher
fsh a most devoted attachment and whose SER
vices IL seems great pity to lose to our coun-
try at the present time. That his caution is
excessive, that for offensive warfare he is sad
ly deficient In some important qualities, and
that the mischieyous Vaccinations of political
schemers, who seek TO make him their stand
ard bearer, have more or less embarrassed
him, we have not lingering doubt.
Since his releas from his command Gen.
Mcclellan has behaved nobly-like true pa
triot Not disloyal word has escaped him
not single reflection upon the government
not a word of fault-inding. But the shame
less course Of those who claim to be his
friends, may ruin him, though we hope he may
be able TO see through the thin film of friend
ship that actuates them, and penetrate the |
fisloyal spirit by which 100 many of their eff |
forts are inspired. 1t is notorious that men of |
all shades OF opposition to the government
combine 10 throw up their caps for Mcclellan.
1t Is not his faaif but his misfortune. that eve
ry disloyal sheet ip the North is blatant in his
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