Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-01-16
General NHcCIeIIan's RepOrt-His
Admirable Letter TO the l'resi-

(, dent. s, t.
| Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Times.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. Z.
Every possible obstacle has been placed
in the way Of the publication of Gen. Nc
=. Clellan's report. 1t Is still in the printer
hands, and every means will be resorted to
in order to delay its appearance to the last
possible moment. Enough has leaked out
In regard to it to prove that it is by fur the
most remarkable document of the war
When it is ouce before the public, it will
exhibit n state of affairs between the Adj
miDistration on the one hand, and General
Mcclellan OH the other, that will cover the
former with infamy, and that will be u full
justification and an ample yindlcati0n of
the whole career of the latter. The mcil-
bers o. the Administration know this so
well that they have hitherto suppressed its
publication for that reason alone. And, now
that its publication has been ordered by
Congress, they are carping and grumbling
at that fact ON account ofthe voluminousn ma
ture of the report. Who is Gen. Mcclellan,
they ask, and what has he done, that his
actions should be thus blazoned by Con-
gress?
1t is all in vain. however, that the Adj
ministration thus seeks to blind the people
to the real merit and vi4t extent of the
military services of Gen. Mcclellan. The
copies of the report ordered to be printed
by Congress may be so few that not one in
a thousand of the people can see it. But
two of the largest publishing housesin New
York have signified their intention of issu-
ing the report in an attractive book form,
and there is no doubt it will be bought and
read with greater avidity, than any recent
publication.
The letter of Gen Mcclellan to the Presi-
dent (embraced in the rcport), written at
Harrisons Landing, on the 9TH of July,
1862, has already seen the light, and will no
doubt, before this, have been laid before
your readers. 1t was my good fortune to
be with Gen. Mcclellan at the time he wrote
that letter, and for two months previous,
and can well understand the circumstances
under which it was written. Convinced
that the Vaccinations of his enemies at
Washington had prevailed, and that his gal
lant little army was to be left to its fate, he
had conducted successfully the most extra
ordinary movement of modern warfare,
and had transferred his army to new base
of operations OH the James river. In
trenched here beyond the power of the en-
emy to dislodge him, but expecting an at
tack every day, he sat down and wrote this
letter to tile President. If he had never
written another line in his life-if he had
never performed any other action than the
writing of this letter-it would be sufficient
to carry the name of George b. Mcclellan
down to posterity as great General, apure
patriot, and statesman of the very first
class. In this single letter are laid down
those military principles adherenceto to which
would speedily have brought the war to a
successful termination; and not that alone,
but also those political principles which
would certainly result in the re-establish-
ment of the unity of the nation. If the war
Is ever now brought to successful terminus
ton, it will be solely by embracing and adj
herring to the military principles contained
in Gen. McClellan's letter. If the former
relations between the States and the nation
al Government are ever restored, it will be
by embracing and adhering to the political
principles contained in that letter. '-.