Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1864-09-02

The soldier and statesman who has
been presented TO the American pco-
pie by the great conservative cohNe"
ton. which met on Morday in our N'f'h-
western metropolis, as leader III the pres
ent all-absorbing conflict with the usuipihg
On .aw-defying administration, needs n's 70
be made known to any Of our readers. so'
the past three wears he has been the OBJ
served Of ali observers. i'eiy ACTON oi
his, on the field Of battle and IN civl lie,
every letter Of public nature that he has
written, have been the OBJECTS OF close ana
keen scrutiny by enyio's and carPlng enc
mics anxious to discover some weak spot
in his arrnor, Through which to dart the
envcnomcd dagger of calbmny at his well
earned reputation.
There is and can be, therefore, 10 wan. OF
knowledge among us Of his character ana
acts. Yet it may not be unacceptable TO
our readc if we present them with br,ei
abstract Of his life, nearly al passed III the
servisc Of his count y, Of the man whom all
the citizens Of the republic, who retain their
devotion t, oar Con~t luton and In on,
seek to elevate to tn Office row polluted by
person whose curse yugl arity would be
simply DISCUS ny, were it not that his utter
incompctency for position OF su h fearful
respon Utility cxctes tcelln s of which
disgust ca convey but Il faint and very
partial ex rcssio
George Brinlon Met lcll,n vas born De-.
Sd, 1926, in the Cry Of Philadelphia. Hi,
family, as the prenomcn of Mac sufficiently
indicates, was original, of Celtic cxirac
ton. II had removed, some tune bcfor.
his birth, to the City If Penn from Counsc
tcut. His father was a well known and es
teemed physician At an early age lie en-
tered the military academy ut Vest Poin.
where he graduated with distinguished hon
0. in 1896 The Mexican war at once fur
nished sphere of action for the youthful
soldier. At Yea c uz, Contrcrar, Chcru
busco, Moline del ley and CIapu!tcpcc, hi
gallantry and military skill won for hin
'g' lden opinions ofall sorts Of people,
AT the close of the war the Gogcrnmen
found plenty OF employment for one so ap.
and industrious as our young Lieutenant
lie was sent on numerou, surveying expe
pitions in sho t, when the was any en-
ploy ment requiring the services of an Off e
Of unriv.lled attainments in military engin
cering, Lieut. Mcclellan was sure 10 be sc
lccted. In the service of the government h'
visited Texas, the Pacific coast, and tn
West Indies, and was especially commend
ed by the Secretary War for his crfornl
ance of the duties devolving upon him il
relation to the Pacific Railroad surveys
During the siege of Sebastopol by tn
combined forces Of Western Europe, In
Wa hington government sent commits
sion, consisting Of three Of tn e most conps
tent officers of our army, to study the nil
tary art upon the field where such coloss;
antagonists were contonding. OF this con
mission Mcclellan, now captain, was on,
and his report on the military system
European nations is the fruit If his obsery:
tons.
But the army Of the Union, in those hay
Ply days when section was not arrayel j
deadly hostility against section, was e,
tremely small, and presented but very fc,
opportunities Of promotion. Like man
other active and ambitious young officer.
Capt. Mcclellan resigned his position. TIL
took place in s57, and he at once assume
the responsible Office of Wee President an
Chief Engineer of that vast system of raj
roat communication which has done $
much in building up our sister State-tt
Illinois Central road
"hile IN Illinois, he made the acauain
ance OF n" attorney residing at Springfield
Mr. Abraham Lincoln, then happily II,
known to fame, but who was OCCASIONAL
employed by the Railroad Company
transact such local business as could safe:
be committed to the charge of a countr
lawyer.
He afterwards exchanged that position 70
the Presidency of the Ohio & Mississippi
Railroad Company, which occasionod
change of residence from Chicago to Cincin
natl, and it was there that the outbreak @
the rebellion found him.
Notwithstanding the busy employment
which, it has been seen, filled his DAYS O
youth early manhood, Mcclellan forn
time to write several works upon his CIV,
art, which have commanded for him .,;iver
cal respect as an accomplished officer an,
thorough scholar. The most important O
these are, volume on the Pacific Ra lroad
an essay on the armies of Europe, and two
books on the cavalry service
Though filling an honorable and lucratiy,
position, the CONNIE ncement of this wa
found him, as he will always be found, read,
to resign all for the service of his country
BY common consent, the war being thcr
waged solely for the restoration of tn,
Union, and carried on under the sanction o
the Constitution, Mcclellan rendered his in
valuable aid to the Governor Of Ohio. whe
at once gave him commission as Ma;o
General, and committed to his charge tn,
organization Of the volunteers from tina
State.
The department Of the Ohio was i'm
nediatsly assigned to him by the Genera
Government. On the 18th Of June, 1851
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