Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-09-23
The President Vindicated by
Events.

AS we said in previous article upon
Mcclellan, his claims as military man do
not rest Il. all upon any positive achieve
ments Of its own, He is a great paper
Geherat. His plans of campaign upon
ipdper are yoluminous, detailed, and We
are willing to admit often sllillfully set
forth. But in the Actual crecution of them
he is the greatest failure on record in his
tory. He owes his prominence before the
public, and the sympathy Of his soldiers
and other honest admirers, to the simple
fact that his elaborate plans were interfer-
ed with bv President Lincoln, in order to
protect ihe National Capital from capture.
We repeat, that no soldier under Nc
Clellan. however much he may admire
him, can point to one solitary instance is
his hero's career where he has distinguish-
ed himself as having in the slightest de-
gree the capacity or genius of Napol-
con, or a Grant, or sherman. Not one !!
He never madc a solitary rapid march to
surprise the enemy or outflank them, as
those great soldiers have done. He never
captured amy prisoners worth speaking Of.
His record OF captured cannon is a beg
carly one. In fact, We never could find a
Mcclellan man who didn't enlarge and
alatc upon what miracles Mcclellan acouid
hare accomplished, had he only received
tie 10000 meu under Gen. Mcdowell
\ military mans credentials 0hght to be
based upon what he actually does ace0m-
piiSh with the men and means at his com
mand Gen. Grants history is full of in
stances where, by rapid marching and un-
expected movements, he has taken the
enemy by surprise and achieved victories
as the most brilliant recorded in history
An ordiHary General ought to achieve sac
cesscs if he has superior forces. But the
true criterion of military genius lies i'll the
power OF General to ayercomc superior
numbers, and trumph over great Difficult
ties by the simple force Of his energy and
skill. Napoleon shattered and DESTROYED
at least a dozen armies, each of which cut
numbered him three to one, because he so
handled his troops as to strike the enemy
at Il veal, point and annihilatc him before
rcinforcelhcnts could be hurried up He
divided the enemy and cut him up i'll de-
tail, Is there Il solitary instance of this
sort of grneralshipi in NlcClclIan's history
We cannot find it--ncver heard OF it.
Our Object in commencing this article
was to show how completely subsequent
events have vindicatcd Mr., Lincoln, in re-
tusing 10 send McDuWell's corps to Me
Clellan,
But few days ago, Early, with not up
wards of .a,0oj mcn, was in Mary land
and artuaIiy attacked the outer dvf.nces
OF Washington. and would lave carried
them il he had tccn Il little stronger pro-
bahiy. NOM let us suppose that McD0Neil-s :
corps had gene to &cl llllan, Us promised
43eA, pursued Banks down the Shenandoah
into Nars land. The dctcuces Of Washing
ton were then much weaker than they are
noW. Nith no enemy 20 oppose hia east
Of that ON the Chitkahoninv, Jackson
would have occupied the " hitc House at
Washington within IL hours after lie had
crossed the Potomac. Mcclellan woald
have taken RicMnoEd-as he could have
done any time before the seven days fight
bat jeff Davis would have issued his
proclamation To the nations from the Ma
tonal Capital, surrounded hy numerous
Earmy, bclind powerful deicncc& Could
lie only occupy it long enough 20 do that,
does any sane man doubt thai England and
France would then have taken SIDES with
The South As it was, We barely escaped
IL foreign war. Gen. Grant is obliged t.
keep "a heavy force even NOW in the ehen
andoah alley, to prevent just such Il
movement as jackson ;aa l. tAcn Where
is the man Wl:o does hot see til" absolute
necessity Of. it ! He must be Il fool or q
ualtor. Mctlellan on the contrary, in
sisted again and again, upon sending to
the Peninsula every man, thus completely
uncoyeling Washington. Grant is the
cry presentation of activity and energy,
fan oi new combinations and fertile in re-
sources. He gives Lee neither rest nor
sleep. He strines ont first with his right,
land then like a thundcrholt with his left.
Still he has not men enough To do al he
Ae.ires, no more than Mcclellan had
BM he keeps steadHy at uorG'. trusting Ill
the government and people to re enforce
him. Mcclellan sat down in the sWamps,
Iand commenced diggin and road building.
and whining daily aud hourly for mere
tnea !-ncycr usirg what be had--l00 GOO
of tn flower of the Ncrth. 1t was the re
Ibls who attacked h!u-McClcllan was
fighting his battles with the pen-atlhck-
ing the President, the Secretary OF War
Gen. Hooker, Gen. Sumner, and the la
mented and lionhcartcd kcamey. Every
time the enemy attacked they We're
whipped but that was all. No improve
lneliit' vas made of our victories. At
length. having added 10000 men to their
army from the West, they fall upon him
and drove him under cover oT the gun
boats. where he had ample leisure TO pro-
secutr his political studies, aud to attempt
to dictate the political policy Of the nation
as well as the military.
Truly McClcllan's cxploits prove the
= IL,
mirhtier than the s,cori." IFhig.
Internal Revenue Decision