The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-09-29
McCLELLAN'S CONDUCT BE-
FORE RICHM0ED.
Rebels Mysteriously Supplied With
Arms and Ambulanoes.
LITTLE MAC TOASTED BY REBRL Off.
GERS.
They Declare that Macs
all Right

When Gen Mcclellan took com
mand in West Virginia, we, in
common with the country at large,
entertained high hopes of success
in his future career. No one lent
him heartier endorsement than
we did; no one wished him more
icrvent "God speed" than we did;
no one could have rcioicci over
success he might have achieved
than We would. But when we
looked ut his career after assum.
ing command of the Army of the
Potomac, when he waited and
watched for some movement of,,his
immense army before Washington
and no movement was made, when
we read of pompous reviews in
camp and of magnificent balls and
festivities in the Capital wherein
Gen. Mcclellan was the most con.
spicnous figure, when he relrained
from movement because the heat
was too great, then becuase the
mud was too deep, and finally be-
cause "thc leapeS on tie trees Uore
too thick" we began to lose faith
in his ability as acommander, and
our hearts grew laint over the
prospect of the evils that his
weakness must subject us to. And
when the events at Balls Blutfand
Manassas eliminated in disgrace
we at once surrendered all hopes
of achieving anything successful
under his leadership, and pro-
claimed our conviction that as n
commander he was failure.
But, in all that we have ever said
concern ng McOlellan's career in
the army, We have never imputed
to him actual and down ght dis
Loyalty to the cause he was com
missioned to defend We confess
to OCCASIONAL misgivings in this re-
gard when some new disaster oi
mysterious procedure would come
t, light. We ONE times secretly
wondered how it come to pass, il
Gen Mcclellan was a true man,
that our every movement and plan
the numbers Of our forces and the
strength of our armament, were
actually known to the rebel leaders
even before our own commanders
ad knowledge OF them. Such
was the fact; but we were 10th to
believe that Gen. Mcclellan could
by any possibility, connive at sucl
proceedings, as some less charita'
bic than ourselves openly charged
him with. And il must be con,
fessed that circumstances went tai
to warrant the suspicion that his
conduct was worse than mere
weakness could explain.
That he should have.pcrmitted
himself and his army TO be actually
slut mp, virtually besieged in
Washington, by an army known
to be but about one. third his own,
to be kept there for months in suc-
cession without striking o blow;
TO permit the rebels to hold the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad on
bis right, and to blockade the Po-
tomac on his left, leaving him on
ly single track for supplies, and
that liable to destruction at any
day, all without single effort a
extrication, all THE argues some
thing worse than weakness. ],
has been called cowardice by some
while others have pronounced il
treachery to tho cause he preten
ded to defend, Who can explain
such conduct by any theory that
does not involve one or tho other
of those charges against hims II
has never been done--it has never
been tried.
But there are other facts and
circumstances now coming to light
that colored McClellan's loyalt y
still darker. Those circumstances
tend to show the reasons why Ne
lClellan was induced to turn back
from Malvern Hill aud order q re
treat Of our army, even after II had
Iwon a victory almost in violation
|of his orders. The circumstances
alluded to arc made by Mr.. ESrrr