Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-10-06


"The removal of Mcclellan has surprised and
grieved me. think it is great mistake. re-.
garded him as the ablest General the war has yet
brought to notice am not aware Of any sufficient
grounds for this STEP"
And to this day it is the judgment of the Ameri-
can people, as it will be the judgment of history,
that there were "no sufficient grounds for this
STEP" That Mcclellan was removed for political
rather than military reasons has long been sus-
pected, but the fact is now placed eyond dispute
by the announcement made in public speech de-
livered in New York on the 9th of September,
by the Hon. Montgomery Blair, the late Postmas-
ter General, and who, as member of the Cabinet,
has possessed in remarkable degree the confidence
of the President. Mr.. Blair stated in that speech
that Mr.. Lincoln chad concerted with Gen. Grant
to bring Gen. Mcclellan again into the field as bis
adjunct, if he turned his back on the proposals Of
the peace junto at Chicago" that is, the phrase
being translated out of the dialect of partisanship
into plain everyday speech, the President of the
United States, with General lMcClean's mill
tary career fully before him. still thinks SO highly
of Gen. Mcclellan as military commander that
he had " concerted" with Gen. Grant to bring
that officer "again into the field as Gen. Grant
adjunct" provided he would not accept the nomi
nation of the Chicago Convention and thereby
come into competition with Mr.. Lincoln's Presl-
Dental aspirations. We ask the American people
| to mark this most astounding statement, and to
draw from it their own deductions. What shall
be said of an. Executive who at a time when, a.,
Mr. Everett justly says, :" he should assume a po-
siton, alike in civil and military affairs wholly indie
pendent of party" concerts" with the Lieutenant
General for the appointment of Gen. Mcclellan to
most important command, not from considerations
Of military fitness, but from considerations of po-
litioal rivalship? And what now shall be said of
the calumnious imputatons on Gen. McClean's
military capacity when it is seen that President
Lincoln, with his full knowledge of Gen McClel-
an's military history, was ready to make him Gen.
Grants "adjunct" if only the Chicago nominal
ton were declined? Alas, alas for the Republic
in which such things are not only CONCERTED"
but published to the world as illustrating the
maxims of partisanship on which the Government
is administered at this solemn hour in its history.
AS before recited, the command Of the Army of
the Potomac was devolved OH Gen. Burnside by
the order of the President under date of Novem-
Der 7, 1862 Gen. Burnside was not born to this
greatness nor had he achieved it. 1t was thrust
upon him sorey against his will under an honest
sciousness of his want Of qualification for the post
and under the equally honest conviction that Gen.
Mcclellan could command the Army of the Poto-
haff han in To il off, ct
he bore testimony under oath as follows on his ap
pearance before the Congressional Committee on
the Conduct of the War. He said:
"This order was conveyed to by Gen. Buckingham,
who attached to the War Department. After getting
my SURPRISE the shock, &c, told Gen Buckingham
that it matter that required very serious thought
that did not ioant the command that had been offered
to t,oice before and aid mot feel that could take IT,
counselled with two of my staff officers regard it for,
/ should think, an hour and half They urged upon
that had right soldier, to disobey the order and
that had already expressed to the Government my
Willingness to take the command told them what my
views with reference to my ability to exercise such
a command which views were those / had unreseTvsdy
large army his had said the and again
the esident and Secretary of War and also that if
matters could be arranged with Gen Mcclellan
Thought he could command The Army Of the Potomac better
than any Other General IN 81.
The delays and blunders which preceded the
battle of fredericksburg, and the disastrous issue
of that battle on the 18th of November, 1862,
proved how just had been Gen. Burnside's nisgiv-
iDgs in accepting the command of such a large
army. And we'll might the President exclaim, as
he is reported to have done when the news of that
bloody repulse was brought to him, off there is
any body out of hell who experiences the torments
of the damned am that man" The appointment
of Gen. Burnside was his work, done with the
best intentions" doubtless, but without that sound
discretion which could alone justify the choice
that was made. As a selection, it seems, was to
be made from the several corps commanders Of
the army the choice, with that curious infelicity
which has marked some other arrangements Of the
Administration in the conduct of the war, was
directed precisely to that corps commander who,
frem his recent connection with the Army of the
Potomac knew the least about its constitution and
the distribution of its forces at the time he was
charged with its control On this point Gen.
Burnside spoke as follows in his testimony before
designated:
Il had previously commanded but corps, upon the
extreme and in the advance the campaign had
begun probably kne,o less than any other corps com
nandcr Of the posons and relative strength j, seperat
corps Of the army Gen McCellas renamed two
OF hres days to arrange his affairs and wit me as
far as WarrentOn and then left having gwen me all the