New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-01-07
MCCLELLAN AS MENTOB.

Gen. McClellan's Report, detailing MS own
Military services, is soon TO be before tho pup
lie We forbear comments till then. But he
has chosen to embody in it u private letter
written by him in 1862 to President Lincoln;
and as this is complete in itself, and Is mere
with laid before our readers, We proceed TO
speak oft.
Gen. Mcclellan had been attacked before
Richmond, his right wing assailed, turned
broken, and crashed back on bis main body
which remained inactive and harmless through
ont, under his orders; and now, without allow
ing his army to measure its strength with the
Rebel foe, he burned and destroyed several NIL
lions worth of munitions, provisions, railroad
stock, &C., &c, and commenced o flank
movement TO the bank Of the James. Arrived
there, it was assailcd by the Rebels in force,
and, standing at bay, gave them asevere thrash
ing. Why it could not and should not rather
have done this in its position before Richmond,
with its field-works on one side and the Chlcl.a-
hominy on tie other, saving tho Millions worth
of property which its flight compelled it to de-
stroy, and the thousands Of wounded whom II
was directed 20 abandon TO the tender merces
Of the enemy, we cannot yet learn; we may
possibly be wiser if we can live to get through
he Generals Report. But, having Mt length
reached place of safety at llarrison's Landing
on the James, Gen. Mcclellan, on tho 9Th OF
July, 1862, addressed letter to President Lin
coin, wherein he says:
1.-The time has come when the Government must
determine upon ciy and military policy covering ihe
whole GROUND Of our national trouble. The rcspon'lb
y Of determining. declaring and supporting suob ou
a9G y s, IN l rero 81 to e REBELLION must now
be assumed and exercised by you. or our cause AZ pe
lo.t Tho Constitution gives you power slihcient even
f.. tho present terrible exrcncy TIE ket..h"', ~
assumed the character Of war; Ne such IL Should be
regarded and il should be conducted upon the hfh's
principles known 10 Christina civilization. III should
hot be- war looking 20 the sulngaiion Of the people I"
any State my event. II should not be ~ all war
upon population but against armed forces and I"ilea
OF anisat0a. Nelcr conhscaiion o' ptolti,t' pon'
zeal executions OF pcrsoDs territorial orrah1a"h- o'
states or (orcbL a6o0n Of S.stsy. should be oonien-
plated ioI o moment
What had President Lincoln done, Oh the
9TH of July, IsG2, tia, should expose him TO be
lec;ured after this fashioni Had 10 proposed
70 conduct the War on any other than " the
highest principles known TO Christian ciyiii1'-
tionl" Had he eyinced yndicuyc, cruel,
yeneeful spirit Hod he even limited at the
Abolition Of Slavery! On the contrary. had he
not Just oyeruled, then superseded, Gen. Ere
mont, because Of his Emancipation order in
Missouri
The slayehcldiDg caste, controlling the Gov
ernmen,s aad policies Of eleven or twelve States,
had made war on the Union. They had, nearly
year before, decreed the cOniisoation OF all The
property of Unionists within their reach, aud
had mercilessly enforced that decree. They
had used slaves by thousands to erect foritca-
tons and mount guns and had armed md drilled
two regiments Of blacks at New-Orlcans alone
TO fight against tho Union. They habitually
sheltered and concealed Rebel soldiers serving
az scouts, spies, and guerrillas The saVehold'
ing caste (of course with individual eic"P'iohs)'
alike in the loval and tho Rebel States, was At
tina. moment implacahly hostile TO the Union
and doing it, utmost to subvert and destroy il.
Yet Gen. Mcclellan admonishes the President
that the property Of these venomous traitors
must in no case be confscated, nor must Slavery
he 'forcibly abolished Why mott
Why should Gen. Mcclellan have thought
Of al this Just on the back Of his disastrous re-
pulse from before Richmond Why but that
his own heart told him, "Ths rosewater style
Of soothing the Rebellion has proved failure
The loyal States cannot endure it much longer.
Even the President, with al his Kentucky pre-
judices, is outgrowing it. You must bully him,
or he gill repudiate it and try sterner policy"
If it was not this that prompted that singular
letter, we know not what could have i'm
PEELED it,
Gen. Mcclellan has BEEN il, and will be, the
fayorite commander Of our forces Of every open
sympathzer with the Stakeholder Rebellion.
Whoever in the loyal States hopes that JEFF.
Davis may yet triumph over our armies insists
that Mcclellan Is the man Of all men TO com
mand them. Whoever holds that We ought not
TO subdue the Rebels insists that We should
baye done much better had Mcclellan been
retained in command. These, VIC can under.
stand; bat the partisans Of Mcclellan who do Mt
vote for Judge Woodward, Gov. Seymour, and
vallandigham, are too deep for us. Can it be
that they comprehend themselves