Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-01-14
The Report of Gen. Mcclellan.
tFrom the New York Timesl

never meet tue eyes oI Oue VI thuussnu VI
our readers. Its enormous bulk Of u thou
sand printed pages precludcs general circu-
lation. The book. properly speaking, is not
an official document at ali. Ii has none of
the succinctness and simplicity which belong
to that class Of productions. Military an.
mails, either in Europe or in America, may
be searched in vain for any report Of q Gen.
era in command, Of one tenth part Of the
magnitude Of this Wellington, though
.even years in tho Peninsula, never wrote
paper that would gil twenty Of these pages.
Grant, though his achievements have been
hundred times greater, has told them all
in reports, the whole collection of which
may be read in sixty minutes. This report
is. in fact, nothing else than the Military
Memoirs of Geo. B. Mcclellan, printed at
the expense of the Government.
What Gen. Mcclellan was, or what he
did that entitled him to so much unexnm-
Piled self display may sorely puzzle the iu-
ture historian. For his benefit We may as
well say that this huge parade don't apper-
tain at all to anything Gen. Mcclellan is, or
anything he has done, as military man.
The imitation is all political. 1t comcsfrom
his aspirations to be Presidential candi-
date. The party opposed to the Admins
tration long since conceived the idea ofturn-
ing him to account in that capacity. They
foresaw that in the almost universal support
given by the ablest and best men of the
country to the Administration, they would
be hard pressed for candidate of any. figure
at all. They did not hesitate to speak free
ly Of Gen. Mcclellan as their most available
man, long before his removal from com
mand. And perhaps it is the part OF char
ity to ascribe much of his military inefli-
cheney to the lack of that singleness of pur.
pose brought upon him by the consciousness
that he owed something to political party,
and had something other than military ends
to realize. Gen. Grant has exhibited his
sovereign good sense, and the thorough un-
selfshncss Of his devotion to the cause, by
discountenancing and repeling every at
tempt to use his name for political proposes.
OF course, it can hardly be supposed that
he is without tho honorable ambition that
belong to nll men Of superior abilities. But
he knows that war is now his sole business,
and that this demands the complete con.
centration of every faculty and feeling OF
his nature. Ho also understands that mor.
al power is no small element in successful
goneralship, and that this cannot be main
tained if it is seen, or even suspected, that
the General has party counsels to hear, and
political interests to cultivate.
! But the fact that General Mcclellan was
removed from command, committed him
more decidedly than ever to the embrace of
the opposition, and the fancy odor Of mar,
tyrdom that hung about him made him
more than ever the accepted favorite and
predestined nominee of the party, We say
fancy odor, for there was nothing real in 1t.
He had simply received the same that had
overtaken Fremont, Pope, Buell., and half
dozen other Major-Generals who had not
fulfilled the military expectations of the Gov.
ernment. But, considering himself pecu-
liar man, he naturally considered himself q
peculiar victim, and redocnt ofpcrsecution.
For nine months after his rcm0vdl, up to
the date of the report, he nursed that feel
ing, and with it the idea that it gave him o
peculiar claim to the political support OF the
country. Hence this extraordinary produc
ton, larger twice over than Caesars Com
mentaries The future annalist Of the grea
rebellion, when in his researches he comes
across this performance, will be staggered a
} its iirimensty, and wonder at its meaning.
For his benefit we make tho contemporary
record that its significance is merely pollti
cal-that, though it has the inscription OF {
military report, it is in reality but yer,
curious piece Of engineering, designed tc
raise n political wind that shall watt the au
thor to the White House, on the principle
of specific levity, as applied by certain re
cent inventors of flying machines in Europe
We have said that Gen. McClellans .po
| litical associations manifested themselves
injuriously long before his removal. A new
illustration of it is furnished in his letter t
the observation-disclosures in this abstract
written from Harrison's Landing just aite
his repulse from Richmond. Among othe
things, he says: UNLESS the principles gov
erning the future conduct OF our army shal
b, made known and dpprouea, the effort I,
obtain requisite forces ioiH be almost entiret
hopeless A declaration of radical views
especially upon Slavery, ioiN rapidly diso'
tegrate our present armies" This is cquiva
lent 30 saying that, unless the Presiden
proolaims and adheres to certain policy
such as Gen. Mcclellan and such other pee
Pile believe to be proper, there will be n
more enlisting; and that, ifhe .presumes Z
declare certain other policy, the army VII
speedily break up and 60 home. Genera
Mcclellan sets forth this all Important pol
icy. It's main feature is military. po,ce
should not be allowed to Interfere with tn
relations of servitude, either by supporting
or impairing the authority OF the master
| eNCcptlHB ior suppIcssihS uisuiuct, 90
other cases" lilo protests that "he,ihe
conjiscation ofproperty. political executions
oi'persons, territorial organizations OF States
or jorciJe abolition Of iSiauery, should b.
contemplated for moment" But it mat
ters not what the particular policy urged
or deprecated, in this style was The styl'
itself was a most unwarrantable one to b'
employed in reference TO any policy. M
, General, with truo soldierly ideas Of dovo
tion to his flag, would have ever thought o.
such language The war is the very means
: of saving the Republic. 1t belongs to tn,
. Government to determine the method O
the war. Whether that method is q wis'
or an unwise one, right or wrong one
!. may DO fairly open to dispute, but in NJ
s case can it absolve the soldier or the oitizeI
from his obligation to stand fast to the war
u II is an intolerable insult to the soldier I,
say that he will break from his ranks, i
Slavery is not spared, or If it is spared! An,
10 il is just as much an indignity to the citizei
l. to declare that his consent to 40 to the hell
!. Of his brethren in the field depends upon an,
suoh condition. The determination of th
army and Of the people to save this Unio
docs not hang ut all upon what the Admin
III \ T..