The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-09-27
ELECTION TUESDAY, NOV. sth.
FOE PREsIDENT.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
or ILLINOIS,.
ROE v1oE-PREsIDENT.
ANDREW JOHNSON,
or TENNESSEE.
For Electors,
From the Chicago Tribune.
The Imaginary and the Real Mcclellan

From the Chicago Tribune.
The Imaginary and the Real Mcclellan.
Never did mortal man have greatness SO
thrust upon him as George B. Mcclellan.
Without examining his military record, which
was destitute of interest, without even
glance at his face, which shows him equally
destitute of intellect OF any high order, with
out stopping 10 weigh the fact that any ont
who could pass through the Mexican war
with no other promotion than brevet Lieut.
euancy, who could be used by JEFF. Davis OIL
secret and unlawful dllibustering spy servicf
sgainst Cuba, who could claim the glory with
or the danger of the battles in West Virgins,
had no elements Of the hero, yet the country
90 needed hero, the war so needed repre-
sentative, the people SO needed demigod
upon whom to lavish the great American dis
position for hero idolatry, that all united In
GROWING Mcclellan with paper GRO wn, ard
halling him as our General-in-C Chief before be
had led a squad into q skirmish or rendered
any other service than to telegraph the bat
ties in West Virginia which Rosecrans plan
ned and fought, emitting the name Of Rose
Grams from the dispatches. This veteran of
thousand cheers and not a single charge,
greeted by Napoleon's hurras, though inno-
cent of Napoleon's battles, this calico hero,
this knight in pantalettes, did the people of
the North without distinction of party ard
their President yielding to their voice, to their
everlasting shame be it spoken, predestinate
TO begin his military career at greater exal-
tation of fame than that to which the world
greatest Generals Its Marlborough, yelling
tons and Washingtons have been content 10
climb through a long succession of hard earn
ed victories. Ever since that date, the peope
have been separating the imaginary from the
real Mcclellan, and as fast as that which 10
imaginary is removed, that which is real sinEs
into insignifcance. The imaginary McCe-
Ian, is fierce looking youth, with an eagle
eye. Roman nose, q compressed lip, and q e
expression ola hero. The real Mcclellan ha,
q mild eye, a pug nose, an animal lip, and the
mediocre expression of a man not to be en-
trusted with any other than very ordinary is
sues. The imaginary Mcclellan foughta bril-
liant battle at Rich Mountain. The real Nc
Clellan sent subordinate to hght the BATH
while he remained 10 sign the dispatch. TIL,
imaginary Mcclellan organized the army Of
the Potomac according to the most approved
modes Of warfare. The real Mcclellan fol
mote any Of his Generals beyond BrigadieI-
ships, for fear OF elevating rivals who might
outshlne him. The imaginary Mcclellan wsf
In the front of the battle at Williamsburg, on
a fiery black charger, leading the troops on te
victory. The real Mcclellan was at York
town, seven miles to the rear, under a shec,
waiting for it to stop raining, and responsible
wholly TOR their defeat. The imaginary Nc
Clellan was always contending against supe-
Tior force, and thwarted in all his efforts to oil
tain reinforcements. The real Mcclellan hsd
at Washington 1856 900 to contend against from
10000 to 10000, at Yorktown 107 600 agairs,
1000, at Williamsburg $4,000 against $4,000,
at Fair Oaks. Gaines Mill and other battles.
he had force largely outnumbering that a
the rebels, of which he brought from a third
to fourth into battle; willie he failed in every
battle to so handle his force as TO use more
than small fraction of it.
Other departments were stripped Of the forces
which Mcclellan had certified to be necessar,
ior their protection, to provide him with rein.
forcements when he already had in eyery bat
lie many times more than he knew how to mt
into the fight. The imaginary Mcclellan had
deep personal sympathy with the common
soldiers. The real Mcclellan led them with
out any other plan than to avoid battle, into
swamps where he lost in few months from
thirty to forty thousand men by disease and
desertion, without firing gun at the enemy.
The imaginary Mcclellan desired aonlv n
share the fate Of his soldiers on the field ofbat-
tle." The real Mcclellan never, from York.
town to Antietam, was under fire. he was alb
sent from Williamsburg, absent from Fair
Oaks, absent from Gaines Mills, absent from
each Of the Seven Days battles, which were
fought only by his corps commanders, absent
from Malvern Hills, and with the reserve
there being no other place, not even Wash
ington, SO safe-at Antietam.
The imaginary Mcclellan was full of deep
iAlo' Iar-seeing plans, to the failure to follow
wnicn all the disasters of.the war are DUE
The real Mcclellan never had any other plan
than the dog-in-the-manger plan Of neither
lighting battles and reaping boror h,,...I.
nor allowing any one else to. To the ;m.a;-
nary MeClellanl Is due the capture of No..
leans. The real Mcclellan advised thu. :.
should not be undertaken, as 1t would recn,rs
10000 men. Butler and Farragut accomplish-
ed it with 7000.) The imaginary Mcclellan
Is ready to sacrifice personal ACKNOWLEDGMENT
to the military success of the country. The
real Mcclellan withheld his army from com
ing 70 the support of Pope, fourteen days at
Harrison's Landing and two days more at Al
exandria, suggesting to Haleck the wisdom
ot"leaving Pope to get out of The scrape as
he could and stated that she was nersonal-
ly responsible" (as he was) for the very acts of
criminal treachery to brother officer ON Tho
battlefield, for which Fitz John Porter 100
cashIered. The imaginary Mcclellan wa. 49,
hero Of Antietam. The real Mcclellan lset
Hooker and Burnside TO fight the battle as
best they could without yeinforcements, and
only came up after the victory was won and in
N0s 70 prevent our army from reaping the