The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-10-12

promised to dc, but that he should make his
CAMPAIGN "a approved by the council of war,
under estrictions which he would make known
on the following morning, at 10 o'clock, who n
he desired the pre scnce Of all the officers of the
council, and until after which time he desired
that none of them should leave the city Be.
fore leaving the President, the recorder of the
council approached the secretary, and said "If
you please, Mr.. Stanton. permit me to have
the proceedings of the council of war that they
may be copied in a fair hand, and Gen. Sumner,
the president of the council will sign them, the
recorder will sign them, and they will then be
in proper FORM" "I'm just as good a Judge OF
the form as you are" was the reply OF your
friend Other incivilites have been attempted
by Mr.. Stanton toward me, the manner and re.
suit of which he has neither forgotten or tor.
given, and which he may relate to you when.
ever he may feel 80 disposed. ....
On the following morning at the appointed
hour, when all the officers of the council of war
had assembled, Mr.. Lincoln said 81 have slept
better than for two weeks. l feel relieved Of
an immense responsibility. l have determined
upon the following programme he
submitted verbally, and which was substantial.
ly as follows:
II will permit Gen. Mcclellan to carry
out his campaign. He shall leave sufficient
force to defend the works before Washing
ton. He shall embark $4,000 men from
Annapolis; and then, unless the batteries
on the Potomac, which you assure me will
necessarily be abandoned, are withdrawn
or silenced, l shall reserve my authority to
embark other troops" lie then said: II
have determined 10 divide Gen. McClellan's
army into four corps and / shall appoint
the commanders of them" And afterwards
he promoted the four officers who had OPP
posed Gen. McClellan's campaign, three OF
whom he appointed to the command of
corps, and, with the exception Of Gems.
Franklin and Smith, who have been the
~ iect Of constant annoyance and indigni.
les since, the others have all been dis
missed from the army.
The Peninsular campaign was proposed
iy Gen. Mcclellan while commander in
,hief Of the armies of the United States and
was intended to be made with the forces
then under his command in eastern Vir.
GINA estimated at over 100000 men. 1t
was SO accepted by the President and the
movement was commenced upon tina, basis.
Gen. Mcclellan had scarcely left Washing.
ton to take the field when the secre tary OF
war relieved him of all the armies not under
his immediate command, and assumed com.
mand Of them himself The troops left in
northwestern Virginia were placed under
the command of Mcdowell, Banks, FRI.
mont, and Sgel, each being independent 1
the other, and of Gen. Mcclellan, and al
subject to the order Of Mr.. Stanton. While
the above division Of our army was taking
place, the confedcrates concentrated theirs
until, on the 26,h day of June, Gen. Nc
Clelan found himself before Richmond with
So. 900 men (nclud:ng McCalrs division,
and was attacked by the concentrated con
federate force of 175 900 men at the very
moment when Mcdowell, under protest
withdrew his assistance from Mcclellan
by the orders Of the President and Secre
tary of War. The campaign under Gen
Grant did not commence until the 4th O
May, 1864. That of Chancellorville, in
which the casualties Of that army were es
tir:ated at 3O,0OOlme and which, but fol
the providential killing of "Stonewalr'
Jackson would have been annihlated, wa.
planned by the President and Gen Hooker
or to use the Presidents own words. by
'Jo and l." Of which the Secretary Of w al
and Gen. Halleck were kept Profound,
ignorant, and was not commenced unit
May I'd, 1868, while that of the Peninsular
for the delay of which Gen. Mcclellan wa
so much censured, was commenced on tn.
25th of March, 1862. 40 days in advance o
either of the others. 60
Why this bitter enmity and persecutio,
of Gen. Mcclellan? Why in the beginning o
March was the President pressed to dealt
to remove him, even before he made bis
first trial in command of the army of tn,
Potomac? Why did distinguished mem
Der of the Senate, on the 18th of March
write to me: The cry against Mcclellan
is increasing; every effort is being made tt
crush hIm?" What possible chance ha,
Gen. Mcclellan to succeed, when his owl
government did everything in their powe
to cmbarrass his movements and breal
him down? One would think his task sui
ficently ouerous, laborious, and response
bic, when, without experience, after tn
first disastrous rout at Bull Run, he re
organized the armies OF the United State.
and was preparing to fight them wi,hou
the additional conviction being forced upo,
him at every step that his own government
were determined Ito crush him"
Judge, you and | met within ten days
after the dreadful battle before Richmond
You attackcd Gen. Mcclellan with bitter
nsss and feeling that i'll becomes Chris
tian gentleman. then begged you not Il
break down Gen. Mcclellan until you has
given him a fair trial, and until you ha'
found better man, and challenged you I,
name better General l now do the SAM
thing, and appeal to the record of the pas
thirty months and to the rivers of BLOOD
that have flown since to sustain what theI
asserted refer you to the opinions 0
foreign officers. and / assure you tina
among the old officers Of the army shall
be fully sustained. The preference of Gen
Mcclellan for the Peninsular campaign ant
the condemnation Of the President plar
have been fully sustained. The famiie
and friends Of the 100, 700 men lost sou,l
Of the Rapidan since the 4,h of May las
proclaim it everywhere. Mr.. Stanton telt
the country ut that time, he hal hundre,
thousand men more than he wanted, ant
now he tells you he wants hundred thou
sand more men.
Gen. Grant crossed the Rapidan m
with an army variously estimated @
from one hundred and eighty
thousand to. ................ 12O ,OOl
He afterwards added Butler's... 4O,O0'
He was reinforced. ........... As ,OO'
Making, exclusive of Sgel's 80, 900 200, OO
On the list of September our forces
were estimated, exclusive of Sher-
idan's 10000, at ........... $1,000
Gen. Lee had on the Rapidan, after
he had concentrated his army. 81, oo'
Beauregard joined him at Richmond
with his forces from the south. ...s'-a
which, with those near Peters.
burg, amounted to ............ 5000,
Breckenridge brought. ........ 10. 00'
And Lee was reinforced probably. $4,000
Making in all ................ 1856 90
On the lstof September his foeccs