North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-03-23
A Page of History.

There is no passage in history which is
more deeply interesting, none on which the
pen OF the historian will dwell with more cl
"quence, than that wnich relates 10 the cpn
dllinn of the Unired States. ITS army and it's
ca oitnl, on the last dav "f August, 1862
The report OF General Mcclellan now tor the
first time COLLECTS and mikes clear The vari
ous incidents which are To fiji tbs important
page IN our national record. We regret thai
the Congressional eiItlon, the Rebellion
Record edition, and other cheap editions of
the report are incomplete and inaccurate,
omiIting entirely some pnr'i winch pre-
sent the most interesting and upGrtant view
OF the relations Of General Mcclellan to the
Cabinet, the army and the Country. The
edition published by Shel i,n { Company,
under General McClcIlan's authority is accu
rate
The secret history of political man@lv-
ring at Washington at this time would il
uLade public, explain the while responsible
! ny ftr the disastrous campaign Of Pope. -
! The blood uf our thousands lost on those "a
tai plains of Manassas Is charyeabe dire lily
on the inlrigues Of Washington politicians of
the radical party, who only desired To re,
m"ve Mcclellan from the public view, be
cause they feared that the splendor Of his
/ genus, the devotion Of his army, the n"t.ie
hess ui his character might bring him be
fore the people as a fiji man to lead The whole
nation through war 10 peace aud uni III IN
der the CunStItut'rn, For this they inrrlgn
ed, and for hIS they have wasted thousands
on thousands of young lives, poured out on
fcui:le battle fields. And some of this Sc
cret history may b. recovered from close
examination Of the dispatches and orders is
sued at Washington. between the 10Th o:
August, d the 2 September, 1862.
Then Mcclellan sends a dispatch. which
will he memorable in all future time:
:" cannot express to you the pain and morti 6ca-
ton have experienced to-day in listening to the dis
TINT sounl of the firing of nv men As l can be of
No further here, respectfully ask that II there
is q probability of the conflict being renewed to-
morrow, may be permitted to go tho scens of
battle with my staff, merely 20 be with my own
men, if nothing more; they will fight none the worse
for my being with them. If it Is not deemed best
t. inIru-t with the command even of my own
army, SIMPLY ask to be permitted to sh 're their
fate on the iel of battle. Please reply to this TO
night
| Not even tn. common courtesy of a re-
ply was gwen, I'LL tre mex, day came Hal
leck'> C, Id dispatch
/ '"I cannot answer without seeing the President
as General Pops is in command by his orders, Of the
department. "
"Al day disastrous intelligence comes in.
Nee lelan is ordered to take command of
the defences OF Washington, but his orders
are limited. They do not yet dare to face
the indignation Of the radical politicians,
who would have seen Washington destroyed
rather than Mcclellan restored. But the
morning of the ID leaves them in doubt no
onger. The hope Of the nation hangs on
the man they had disgraced and rdicucd on
the 3Oth, The President and General Hal
leck seek Mcclellan at his house and " com
} NIT everything" to his hands, directing him
, to 90 out and meet the returning army.
/" The crossing of the Potomac that day
by Mcclellan is a scene for long remeW
brance. The shouts that went rolling o-er
} the hills, the exultation of men who had re
/ garded themselves as doomed, hut who now
, welcomed order, wisdom, genius, ability
and experience all which they had proved
: ara known-this has been described and is
, recorded. How the general topk the shat
cred army, restored it's morale, led it into
Maryland, and in fourteen days won the vic
, tories Of South Mountain and Antetam -
Hallcck complained of his slow march &c
Sonth Mountain, and radicals everywhere
growled sullenly over the salvation of The
capital by McClellan--this ia already histc
! ry-"--y,arsa' Of Commerce. ac .sa laas