The weekly union record., 1864-10-22
W8nC0Wafmte, mDetmty of treason

I Personal bravery Is quality that commands
The admiration of mankind. II is qualifca-
tion necessary to the accomplishment Of grea;
achievements As courage is one Of the emo
bling traits Of true manhood, 50, per contra,
he man in whom true courage is wanting, and
who seeks or accepts position which cone
bat brave man should occupy, forfeits all
claims upon the compassion of bis fellows, and
/ deserves the condemnation OF his race.
To say the Copperhead nominee for the
Presidency on the north wing of he rebellion
is a brave man is stating a proposition which,
to oil appearances. will require for its estab
lishment other proof than is shown by bis
conduc, while leading the Army of the Potomac
"on to Richmond" Intellectual capacity TO
handle skillfally and at the proper time the
several divisions OF large army Is gii; which
nature bes'ows upon bat few, and if General
Mcclellan protessed ,ha, ability, the testimony
of his division commanders is such as TO show
that be did not make use Of that ability for the
success of the Federal army during bis PENN
sular campaign.
Yorktown was invested and delay Of thirty
days occasioned thereby, while his subordinate
Generals testify that the place could have been
taken by throwing division Oh the road
between that place and Williamsburg At
the battle Of Williamsburg, Mcclellan was al
Yorktown, ten miles in the rear. The rebels
were defeated in that battle, and the army
pushed 90 to the Chickahominy. Here again
was made a delay of three weeks in a place
where no army should have stopped for an
hour, and the testimony Of bis Generals agree
that Mcclellan could have gone into Richmond
with ease. But bis faltering there gave the
enemy time to recruit and assume the offensive,
compelling him TO retreat to the James river
under the protection Of the guuboats.
Before arriving at Harrison's Landing, by
his order the army made stand at Malvern
Hill, were attacked by the enemy in heavy
force, who were defeated with heavy loss, and
the testimony Of bis Generals shows that here
again the army could have taken Richmond.
But, instead OF advancing, the order was given
to retreat to Harrison's Landing. 4 Nirgiuian
writing TO the Evening Telegraph under date
OF Sept. ID, says: Later, during the summer
(of 1862, was at lIarrisons Landing with
the Federal army. and obtained the following
facts from staff officer, and one of the ablest
and most distinguished Judges New York ever
produced, who, believe. was an eye witness
Of most OF what be related While our army
was moving down the rebels at Malvern Hill,
as they came up to our guns four lines deep.
Gen. Mcclellan went on board the iron clad
GaeDa ,rih proposal IN his possession to
surrender the -A'my Of the Potomac 10 Gen. Lee
Commodore Rogers demonstrated with him,
and begged to be allowed to pass up the river
aud take 3 position to defend the army until
the will OF the President could be ascertained
After much entreaty, Gen. Mcclellan sent a
courier to Fortress Monroe, and telegraphed
has intention TO Washington in cypher which
he said seemed absolutely necessary in military
sense. The President answered promptly that
the army must not be surrendered in any event
death aud destruction were better-and sent
this answer by Gen. Halleck TO Harrison S
Landing" The army was not surrendered, the
enemy did not take it, it was not destroyed
OF the testimony OF four Major Generals,
four Brigadier Generals and one Colonel, which
we have examined in relation to McClellan's
Peninsular campaign, none OF them ever saw
him on the field during a battle, and only one
ever heard of bis being on the field during the
progress Of battle, and that was at Malvern
Hill, which he left for the Galena, intending to
surrender to Lee what Lee was unable TO take
notwithstanding The 'mbeeHHy, corardioe or
treason Of the Federal commander. The friends
of Mcclellan have said that he would have
taken Richmond during that campaigu, had it
not been for the President. Will such persons
explain the strange conduct of the General
above cited? Whatever may have been the
cause of the failure OF that campaign, the
evidence before the coultry is sufficient TO
exonerate every man except the commanding
General; and whether cowardice, impecihty,
or treason, was the real cause OF the failure, We
are satisfied be is not such leader as will give
the prestige of victory, or success to any party,
either as military ehieitain or Presidential
nominee. A few more days, aud the SPendor
Of his uglorious career will be numbered among
the things that were, and the name of McClel-
Ian as a military hero will be remembered only
as the greatest humbug and the most miserable
failure that turned up during the Great Rebel
lion, if We except the rebellion itself.
THOSE who are Inclined TO be alarmed, aud
TO complain Of the rapid increase of our national
debt, would do well to consider the experience
Of other nations. The battle of Waterloo
closed sixty FIVE years Of English war. in which