The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-10-04

NJ JHdGe keu6y, wen tne recor0s Ot Mo
Eouuncil Of war, md that Of athe strict coufss
of examination 'made BY Mr.. Stanton, 81 !
dicsting the very difficulties and dreedtol
Hoses General Grant has lately sustained,
ever placed before hint And why notT
And who is responsible for the loo, 600 men
unnecessarily and wickedfy sacrificed soutn
of the Rapidan, id the experiment made 20
prove that Gen. Mcclellan and the council
of-war were wrong, aud that the fres-
dents plan was right. s~~s,1 2
The army. ofthe United States, as you
found 1t at observation-disclosures Of this war,
twas composed sof q high.toued, intelligent,
honorable gallant set Of men, fully equal %
the contest before them; they had aiwsys
studiously avoided all political connections,
many of them had been thirty years IN the
service Of their. country, and had never vo-
ted. They held their country and the hos
nor and integrity of it before every other
consideration. Had q rule been adopted
requiring that no political subject should
be introduced into the army but that all
political rights should be respected, and
had army officers only been held respon,,
sible for the conduct Of the war. 1t would
have terminated long ago, /,
Why have Mcclellan, and sedgwlck, and
Mcpherson, and Bayard and Franklin, and
Buell., and Meade, and Averill, and Porter,
and score eff other general officers, with
hundreds, if not thousands, of officers OF an
inferior grade, been offended and held back
and many of them dismissed from the army
without word of explanation, an arbitrary
act unknown in Great Britain, whilst Pope,
and Burnside, and Hooker. and Butler, aud
Hunter, and Banks, and Sigel, and Sickles,
and hundreds of others, certainly no better
than the former, have been preferred? Why
was General Stone. than whom there is not
a more loyal man, and accomplished gen.
tleman, and gallant soldier in the country,
confined in prison for fifteen months?
And when released by an act of Congress,
why was it that neither the President, nor
Secretary of Warmer Secretary of State,
or other persons in Washington would
assent to any knowledge or any participa
ton 10 the arrest? Such outrages are cal
culated to break down the honor and esprit
de corps of any. army, and all have looked
on with disgust AMI horror, and pain at
the shameful injustice aud outrsges that
have been continually heaped upon so many
of there friends and comrads in arms, whom
they know incapable of an ungentlemanly'
dishonorable, unsoldierly, or disloyal act.
Why did the Committee on the Conduct
of the war investigate and falsify with such
| precision the conduct OF Mcclellan and his
friends, and overlook the volumes of charges
filed in sthe War Department against
Fremont, and Sigel, snd Hunter, and others
and entirely overlook the imnence
slaughter at Charlottesville and Fred
ericksburg, and south Of the Rapidan2
Why did a secret political inquestien,
with no other pretext than that they sus>
pectcd him of political ambition, sit over
Ave hunnred days and manufacture over
seventeen hundred pages of sr parte testi
mony against young officer, Christian
gentleman an honest man, who, heaven
only knows, never had but one purpose and
that to serve his country and his God2
You, know, Judge that whilst in WASH
ington Gen.. Mcclellan studiously avoided
all political association, and to such an
extent that many of his friends of both
parties were much offended. ....
The first knowledge that I ever had of any
political ambition on his part was after he
had been retired from active service and
sent in disgrace to New jersey, and this
was after his fitness for the succession had
been discovered by Mr.. Lincoln, and the
people had sign6ed their affection for him.
His letters and orders have been called po
litical, but they were emiuently proper, and
refer entirely to the military policy Of the
country. But, judge, suppose that We
admit that General Mcclellan had an am :
bition to be President of the United States,
was it not laudable ambition, and is there
any improperly in it? Is the field not
open to him as we'll as to Mr. Lincoln, or
Mr.. Fremont, or Mr.. Chase, or to many
Others infinitely his interiors?
So far as the objections to his military
qualifications are concerned, we have only
to remind you that within the last sixty
days, a confidential friend of the President
was sent to offer him one of the most i'm
portant commands of the army. But this
proposition was coupled with the most dis
honorable condition that he should decline
to be candidate for the Presidency. Gen
eral Mcclellan restrained his indignation
and replied to the bearer of the message,
Geo BACK to Washington, and say to the
President for me, that when receive my
official written orders he shall have my
answer" ..g
Beware, Judge, of the incorporate
abuse of your political opponents, as proud
and loyal as you are, who would rather see
the continent of America sink into the ocean
with all that dwell upon it, than see our
nationality destroyed who will not endure
this constant usurpation of authority and
cncroachment upon their rights, and whom
you may drive into dreadful conflict, in
which the abolitionist and the negso may
find themselves arrayed against all who
will unitedly stand, hand in hand, and shout
der to shoulder, in defence OF the Oonstitu-
ton and the fundamental laws of the
land. Very respectfully,
HENRY NJ. NAGLEE.
To Hon. WILLIAM D. KELLEY, Phila.