Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-10-20

I'd. Wherein is victory more certain by
your plan than mine?
Sd. Wherein is victory D,ore rotudbtc by
your plan than mine? :,
an. In fact, would it not be less valuable
in this that it would break no great line Of
the encnys communications, while mine
would?
5th. In case Of disaster, would not re.
treat be more difficult by your plan than
mine?
Yours, truly,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
Major-G General Mcclellan.
And for the further refutation and falsi-
fcation of what you have said, ] hereby as
sert what know to be true. During the
month of January, 1862, Gen. Mcclellan
had been very ill., The President became
very restive under the outside pressure
which demanded, through the Republican
press, that the army should ION to Rich
mond, and was about to consent TO some
movement proposed by Gen. Mcdowell.
! On hearing this Gen. Mcclellan arose from
his sick bed and proceeded to the Presiden-
tial mansion, there to join the President and
his Cabinet, who had been assembled to
meet him. He was asked by the President
so gjre lis plum Of campaign. He hes
| lJdtCl IDI d IlDlltIl, uullUg hIiCll iC lC-
membered that all information furnished to
the Cabinet found its way to the confden.
| tial friends of some of them, and thence by
the multitude Of spies that infested the
War and other departments it was forth.
with communicated to the enemy, and he
replied that he would do so if the President
ordered it, but as the President must know
how Immediately such information was
transmitted to the enemy, he, Mcclellan
! preferred not to make known his plan of
campaign to the Cabinet unless the Prcsi-
dent should order it; and the President de-
clined to make the order.
Mr.. Chase remarked to one present, that
if Mac persists in thus refusing information
he is II ruined man.
These circumstances occurred in January
and on February Sd. Do you still intend tC
reaifirm that "McClelan had no plan unit
the Democratic Senators, Mr.. Latham and
Mr. Rice, and brgadier from the column
Of Joseph Hooker concocted one, anC
packed a council Of war to approve of it?
on the Sth of March thereafter.
Now, Judge, you will save yourself and
friends much confusion, which you have
caused them in following you, if you would
read the orders and letters that have beer
published upon all of these military subjects
and which may all be found in your tavorite
work of the report of the committee on the
Conduct of the War, or in Gen Mcclellan
report, which is not so great a tavorlte with
you. You evince, again, the most extra
ordinary confusion when you assert that
the President gave him ten days to find d
plan, and contound the orders | have re-
f,rred to with the following order of the
President:
+ EXECUTIVE MANSION
WASHINGTON, March s, 1862. !
Presidents General Var Order No. s.
~ y y
That amy movement as aforesaid en- rout
for new base of operations, which may b
= ordered by the Comlnander-in-C Chief, an
! which may be intended to move upon tn
: Chesapeake bay, shall begin to move upo
= the bay as early as the 18th March, instant
: and the General. in Chief shall be responsibl
. that it moves as early as that day.
. A. LINCOLN.
j.. Thomas, Adjutant General.
t In which, you will observe, he did not OF
: der General Mcclellan to produce pla
G within ten days, as you assert but that HI
G Increment should commence within ten days
Shifting from your original nomencl;
e ture, you now assert that the council wa
/ designated as council of Lewiston con
: manders," and that, with the exception {
i General Naglee, it was composed Of divi
i ion Generals. Now, sir, as usual, you ia
c sify the record. There were but nine d
h vision officers detailed, and it was convene
+ by General Mcclellan as council ofwar
e Your voluntary, unprovoked attack mao
:, upon me on the 22d ultmo needs no denia
II for the mere fact of my being a member
a council of war convened by order of Gel
y eral Mcclellan shows of itself that was c
st detached duty by proper authority, ovt
|, which neither your friend Mr.. Stanton nj
:. Gen. Hooker had any control. The attaC
It upon me under such circumstances, as We
L as your assertion that General McClella
d had no plan until it was prepared tor him
e Senators latham and Rice, and Gener
3 Naglee, on the Sth of March, 1862, in fa
is of the letters and orders of the President
N February and March 8, herein referred t
ID and long since subjects of constant publ
N discussion, exhibits on your part a reckles
ID ness of assertion and indifference of prop
TO self respect that few of your friends W
ID comprehend, and none Of them attempt
ID justify.
IS Judge, if ever a question of veraci
comes up between you and myself, we alol
Or must settle it, and you must not attempt
;e shuttle off your responsibility and place
OF upon others, nor to protect yourself behil
o, such ''well-known individuals" as 'Puf1el
at Moore and George Hacker. This may ha
"A been your practice heretofore, and you MI
lg have so acted with impunity, but rest q
C. sured it will not be permitted by me.
You refer to some great surprise tn
at General Mcclellan proposed to make on {
1t, rebel line at Brentsville; and you make o,
ur no doubt to your satisfaction, that the 81
he cess of the surprise depended entirely up
he certain bridge to be constructed of cal
e. the Potomac near Harper Ferry, and tl
ad it was found, when the movement was abo
a to be made, that the outlet lock was t
en- narrow for the boats. Now, this surpr
en- of Brentsville may be entirely clear to y
ed and Senators Wade and johnson, but
er myself and to my military friends we cam
u understand how the rebels in the directi
IT. of Brentsvie could have been surprised
N any movement in the direction indicated
an you; but | suppose that that is not impol
ad ant with you, your real objections being o
gn ly to relate the story of that obstinate cal
I'D boat, that had passed through all of t
on other locks upon the canal, but refused,
nd the face of the enemy, to pass the out
BIT, lock.
he Did it ever occur to you that an emp
ut, canal boat, in the hands of thousands
we men, could be transferred down hill, frt
ed, the canal to the river, with but little di
Guilty, and that there may have been sol
ing other reason than the one assigned by yc
But, admitting all that you claim, did
AL. Al. 1ot,