The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-10-01


ring the Mcclellan supremacy that the
country came nearest to q military dicta-
torship. His partisan officers filed all
public places at Washington, overawing
pubic sentiment. instigating disaffectiOn
against the Government. and publicly
threatening that the army would turn Con-
gress out Of doors. Then a military dicta-
tOrsh;p seemed good thing in Democratic
eyes. Then, instead Of the supremacy Of
the civil power over the military, which is
now the Democratic hue and cry, the whole
party kept up cry against any Congress
McClellan's officers wrote insolent and
threatening letters 70 members Of Congress
who ventured to comment on the military
management. The President was obliged
to write to Mcclellan that this insolence
must be stopped. Aqs ~
Il was then that the feeling of the whole
Mcclellan influence in the Army Of tho
Potomac was hostile to the Government.
The Organization Of the army In corps, and
the President'o appointment Of the ccm-
manders, rescued the country from this
peril. And from that time Mcclellan Was
the enemy Of nearly all these commanders,
respondencs with him, although they saved
his army, and gave il : heroic fighting rep
utation in spite ofthe imbecility ofits Gem
And when be had exposed ons-third fof
his army to destruction ut Gaines Mill, by
the enemy's whole force, when he might
the enemy, or Withdrawn it withou: loss,
and after he had sacrificed ten thousand
men and the artillery and material Of that
wing, he had the insolence to write to the
War Department: You have done your
best to sacrifice this army" IF save
This army now, tell you plainly that ] owe
in Washington" "Ths Government has
not ncw he s do not ,sS
me very large re-enforcements, and send
them ut once.'' oF a
This from Commander who after sew
eral days warning Of the enemy's move
ment, had permitted one-third or his army
to be cut in pieces by 3 force which all
told was not equal TO his by $1,000 men,
And this insolence and insubordination
the Government was compelled to submit
I to by the fear that Mcclellan contemplated
the surrender of his whole army. @Af
And when by his treachery In withhold
ing his troops from the support of General
Pope, our army was defeated, and by his
advice had been withdrawn to Washing
ton, his partixan officers dem0ralized their
troops within the the city, and oyerawed
the Administration With their clamor for
Mcclellan, and by flling the streets with
an armed mob, so that it succumbed and
restored him to command.
Those were the dark days of the Repub-
lie. It escaped because this man had not
Iyhe nerve for military usurper; because.
thanks to the organization by corps, the
real Generals Of the Army Of the Potomac
were faithful men; and because the patriot
ic private soldiers, however demoralized
by the Mcclellan officers, cannot BE- relied
upon AZ tools of usurpation. But the
crime Of making this man the virtual die.
tator Of the Republic, and of placing
quarter Of million Of patriotic volunteers
IN his power, 70 be demoralixed BY his spir-
it. and. wasted for his partisan uses, can
never be cancelled The, country has mot
recovered from the effects OF this McC1el-
gave it military prestige, inspired it with
contempt for our military capacity, and for
the administrative weakness, and it resur-
rected the Democratic party In the North,
and gave II all the power IL now has in
lighting the y4Administration.-C SncinMa9S