The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-09-15

VanI
"GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN,
major General, U. S. A."
The following is a copy of the ur-
gent note of General Marcy, his faith
er-inlaw and chief of staff;
New York, August 20 1861.
81 urge upon you to make a posi-
the and unconditional demand for an
immediate draft of tho additional
troops you require. Men will not vol
untecr now, and drafting is the only
successful plan. The people rW ap-
pldnd such course, rely upon it
will be in Washington to morrow.
r. B. MARC Y"
This was in 1861. In 1862 after
the battle OF Antiotam, and while Nc
Clellan was waiting for shoes for his
army, and Lee was making good his
escape, he sent the following letter to
the President:
UEADQ'Rs ARMY OF THE PoToMAC, !
October 2, 1861.
Your Excollcncy is aware Of the
very great reduction Of. numbers that
has taken place in most Of the old reg
imcnts Of this command. and how nee
essary it is to fill up these skeletons
before trking them again into action,
| / HAVE THE HONOR, THERE
FORE, TO REQUEST THAT THE
ORDER TO FILL UP THE OLD
REGIMENTS WITH DRAFTED
MEM MAY AT ONCE BE ISSUED.
GEO. b, MCCLELLAN,
Major General Commanding.
His EXeelIenoy, the President
Further, tho party which nominated
Gen Mcclellan, claims that secession
is constitutional and that therefore
the war is unconstitutional, and that
the present waste oftrcasure and blood
in an "Abolition war" Is unchristian
and inhuman. Gen. Mcclellan gave his
views of the cause in his Harrison
Landing letter, the best document he
ever wrote, dated July 7, 1862, which
will be found on pago al, of McCIel-
lan's report In that letter he thus
advises the Presidents
"Om cause must never be abandon
| edit is the cause Of free institutions
and scIfgovernmcnt. The constitu
ton and the Union must be preserved,
whatever may be the cost in time,
treasure and blood. If Secession is
successful, other dssolutions are clear
ly TO be seen in tho future. Let neth-
er military disaster, political nor for
cign war, shake your settled purpose
to enforce the equal operation Of the
laws of the United States upon the
people Of every State"
Mcclellan was the first to use the
term military necessity" in the pres
ent war, that term so much eXccrated
by the men who nominated him. Nc
CIelan believed that the Constitution
authorized whatever was necessary
for the present terrible oXigency.'-
And he advised the President, in this
same lUttor, to assume tho responsible
ity of "dirccting the whole course of
national affairs" as follows:
"Thc time has come when the gov
crnment must determine upon a civil
and military policy, covering the
whole gound ofour national trouble.
"'Thc responsibility Of determining,
declaring, and supporting such civil
and military policy, and Of directing
the whole course Of national affairs in
regard to the rebellion, must now be
assumed and exercised by you, or our
cause will be lost. The Constitution
gives you power even for the present
terrible cXigency,"
Mr.. Lincoln was rs much abused for
his plan Of compensated, enamel
patton as for his emancipation pro.
cIamation. And the men who nomin-
atod General Mcclellan were Mortified
ut the idea ofsciaing the sacred person
OF Il slave from that exalted being, his
rebel master, and confscating his la
bor But General Mcclellan, in this
Harrison Landing letter, not only ad-
visCd the Government to confscato the
labor Of tho slave, but the masters
cldim to the slaves labor, And further
suggested plan of compensated cman-
cipation, We quote from page 10 of
McClcIlan's Report:
"Slaves, contraband under the act of
Congress, seeking military protection,
should receive it Tho right of the
Government to appropriate pcrma-
ncntly to its own service claims to
slave abcr should be asserted, and the
right OF tho owner to compensation
therefor should be recognized This
principle might bc extended upon the
grounds Of military necessity and secu-
rity, to all tho slaves of particular
State, thus working manumission in
such State
We consider these extracts as con-
elusive, according to Coppcrhead To-
gic, to the charge that Gen Mcclellan
is tyrant, usurpor, and and Aboli-
tionist Or, if wo adopt tho tel ms
which tho moro bitter of that party