Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-10-01
Antietam and Gettysburg.

The New York F0rId, commenting upOu
the dedication Of the Cemetery at Antietam.
clearly shows that both that destructive battle.
and the still more bloody one at Gettysburg,
were the result of the hatred of Stanton to
Mcclellan, and the selection Of utterly inco.n.
Petent men to all the position from which no
was removed on account of political reasons
and mean Jealousy. The World says:
1t Wasiu consequence of setting up General
Pope as rival to General Mcclellan in
Virginia. that those great disasters beiell our
troops under the command of Pope, which
enabled the victorious rebels to cross the
fO'omac IN full force, and compelled the
frightened authorities to reinstAte General
Mcclellan 10 command to save the national
capital. ltwas by the great victory of Antie-
tam that he broke the strength Of General
Lee, aud compelled him to stink awsv in tho
night and recrOss the Potomac. As soon as
the Washington authorities were thus relieved
from Their terror, political Jealousy of Gen.
Mcclellan revived in all its venom. With
the laureIs OF a recent victory thick upon his
brow, this able commander. the idol ard
admiration of his soldiers, was driven Fsou,
tue army never to return. A succession Of
terrible reverse, the direct consequence of his
that they had lost in their first invasion, to
send CONSERVATION through the whole North
by its repetition, and to give occasion for tho
hardly contested field OF Gettysburg, on which
more depended than on any other battle Of
the war. Had General Mcclellan been ptober-
" supported, there would have been no second
BUN Kun, aud consequently no Antietam
Had General Mcclellan been continued in
command after his victory at Antie,am. there
would have been no FredericIsLurs.. no
Charlottesville, and consequently no CTet,vs.
burg. Antietam aud Getty sburs were fought
to repair hideOus disasters, to recoSer lust
ground, to repel iDvasions which became
possible only by the proAigat aud uuhOllowrd
miSmanagemeutO of the authorities at Washing.
ton. Monuments on those great historic spots
are commendable aud becoming as tributes
by grateful country to the memory of tho
brave citizens who there fell in its defence
but what is the relation Of those monuments
to the scOIes Of thousands of equally brave
citizens whose blood cries from the ground
against official imbccilIty and laundering in
the vast sluughtcr-peps on the sUii of Wig mia?
If their lives, sacrificed in vain, had been
spared. there would have been 10 occasion for
these great cemeteries On NUrIhcrn soil
''And the angel said unto me, Write.-
And ] said. What shall | write"
When History asks Arithmetic to be her
amauuensis, she will dictate this sum in addi-
ton: Set down the numbers who fell in the
disastrous Virginia battles under Pope be-
meath this place the number who were useless.
" sacrificed in Buruside's slaughter peu at
Fredericksburg; then the enormous losses
under Hooker a, Charlottesville then tho
heroic nulttudes who fell in the two rebel
invasious; add up the fearful sum. aud tho
amount will be the hideous cost in human life
OF Stanton's I'M usticc to General Mcclellan.