New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

ena DIVISION pI1a second Army CORPS M New
YerS. Charles scribners Sons, 74o anu '7' 1.-Two
way 12mo PIP. 2l9. ,, conu.N |
pars Member Of the Massachusetts, Hist9fMVhl .o
ciety aud the Military Hls'9rse 9,n Sun pn 22o
charles scribners Sons seem determined 10 ho0p
mn the high standard of their series OF HiiiiViy
,io,ocranhs which was so auspiclousy launcheu
~ Mr. Nicolay's admirable work on the outDreah
~ the Rebellion and the Battle of Bull Kun. Inc
two books just published are both worthy OIL nien
communication not only for the evident cohscioh
,iousness and industry with which the materials d.
the disposition of their authors have beeh eAaini"o
and digested but also for the impartial ana Juuioi
shirt with which both General WeoD anu w
Ropes have sriven to do exact justice 10 irioiu n
foe, OF course in an undertaking of this KIND some
800. 80 hioo IL unavoidable and the publishers
,,,;so,y determined al the outset to have the Worh
aone Inv Northern writer's, men who thought that
on the whole Abraham Lincoln was nearer rlgh' DIS
40 the questions at issue than Jefferson Davis
this view il would have been absurd 10 ash MI
Jerry Black or Mr. George Ticknor Curtis 10 ASSIST
;n the work. and it is equally absurd TO critlcise
the writer's as one Republican newspaper mas CRUZ
cised Mr.. Ncolay, for using the WORD heOeulon
heeanse il shows a narrow partisan spirit one
cannot but wonder what word the critic woui"
have empoyed under the circumstances ne
yVobn 10 the expr.ssion in vogue on the other side,
INT IL is altogether too indefinite for historical uSo'
Some centuries hence the brilliant lovers OF paradox
will begin to write histories from the othei Poh Va
yiew-but for the present, while the pehsio" no
continues at its portentous dimensions lhon -
common sense will agree that the war was Il ioD'i
lion. without sufficient Justification that Ooth st0'
fought WELL and that the Union armies were 'i''o-
rious , 4
This however, still leaves questions enough ~
of ha
the theme of the Peninsular Campaign Nheh II
gos onnoune ed that this subject had been assigned
h, the pnblishers to General A. S. Webb. 1t was
perhaps too hastily taken for granted that MS
treatise would be devoted to defence OF GENERA
Mcclellan He had been one OF the intimate Ale"u'
of the Generalin- Chief, assistant Chef OF ArulelS
in the Army of the Potomac, and later CDlel Vi i'9
staff and was believed to be thoroughly lhioueu
with the Mcclellan legend But bis Oook Is "oiio
the less an able and valuable contribution W 'n0
history Of the war; and not in any sense vlndlca-
ZION of the first Commander OF The Amy ol 'no
Potomac. It is evident that he came to MS WORK
,r;th strong nreiudice in favor of Mcclellan and
an eoually strong predspostlon against the CON
dpct of the Government toward him. But MS
fairness and his honesty are more lnVeterate 'hah
his prejulices: and although he Occa9lohalS goos
ont of his way to denounce the "hterierehcc VI
Tho Government and the last words of his book are
an appeal to General Mcclellan &c "vlndlcate
himself no one can read this brief and cohuehseu
volume without seeing that Mcclellan was really
never interfered with, that he was treaIeu ny
Lincoln " 18th lOngsuferrng torbearance WITHOUT
any parallel in history, that he had at all Tunes
more troops than he knew how to use, and That ne
failed from sheer moral incapacity ever to assume
the init iatIvc when an enemy stood IN the way.
It's well. therefore that this volume should have
been written by friend of General McCleIiah'
Had il been written by enemy, the statements 10
makes, though they are all supported by lrre1rag-
able documentary proofs, would seem to be the IN
ventions OF malice The country has not even yet
come to comprehend the depths OF Mcclellan IN
capacty and the facts related by General Webb Will
snrprise even the bitterest of the Jacobins" who
xvere attacking him in Congress and the press IN
1S61-'G2 For instance it is now made clear lp' l4J
that he positively promised Mr. Lincoln that nc
would attack the rebels al Manassas not later taah
November %, 1861 that, when the time CAME ne
told the President it impossible, because the
enemys force was equal to his own-the truth being
(p 26 that the entire rebel force present 1or duty
even as late as February, 1862, was 4I,3oo' Whle
tbe magnificent army which Mcclellan held in
active during the autumn and winter was
10000 in round numbers, excluding troops IN the
Valley and in Maryland 1t is a singular proof OF
the lingering force of the Mcclellan tradition that
General Webb, while recording this dlsgraceIu
fact thinks the blame of this deception or deuslon
sbonld be equally divided between the President
and the General at the head of the armies. Nc
Clelan's inexcusabe error in neglectng Norfolk on
his left flank is justly characterized Oy Oeheral
Webb His utterly unfOunded expectation lhaI the
Navy would take Yorktown for him; his complete
icnorance Of the topography of the Peninsula, only
eoualled in modern times by that of the Austrian
staff in regard 10 the country about Sadowa; DIS
faiure to divine the presence OF the enemy at the
yorktown line; his clamOr for Frankllns ana
McCars divisions to be sent to him. ana his utler
inability TO do anything with them when they came
bisignominious delay before Yorktown till the rebels
Mt their leisure withdrew; the terrible mlslnanage-
ment at The battle of Gainess Mill, where (p 1861
"McClellan fought the rebel army with one CORPS
and then retreated to the James with Richmond
uncovered and defenceless before hlm-all these
vital facts of the campaign are detailed with a
1roid;tv and conscientiousness for which every
student of our history must feel lasting debt OF
gratitude TO General Webb.
We give the closing paragraphs of the book, when
show as plainly anything we could quote the
strong personal attachment of the writer to Cen
eral Mcclellan which yet does not blind him to the
fatal blunders of this disastrous campaign and the
evident weaknesses Of the Generals characters
At the battle of Gaines's Mill General Mcclellan
found 10000 Of the enemy on the lett bank OF inc
ChekahOminy desperately cOntending to over
yhelm Fitz John Porter, who resolutely defended
himself for many hours from being driven into the
river or down it. by this overwhelming force. We
have narrated exactly what occurred on both banks
OF the stream. But the writer was present with
General Porter that day. having been ordered TO
Join him. and having left the general headquarters
for that purpose. lie carried with HIM to General
Porter the distinct ia preston then prevailing at
the HEADQUARTERS of the army. that he was TO hold
This large force of the enemy the left bank of the
Chickahominy. in order that General Mcclellan,
with the main army, might break through and
take Richmond. AT that time it was generally un-
dersood that this was the plan OF the General COM
mandinc and the criticism that General Porter
shouId have been taken to the right bank OF the
river before the battle is in opinion the correct
one The sacrifice at Gainess Mill OF 1000 men
was warranted, if we were to gain Richmond by