Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-11-06
Gen. George Il, Mcclellan.

The death of Gen. George B. Mcclellan
was sad surprise even to his intimate
friends. 1t came upon him almost with
out premonition-the old and mournful
story of the stalwart man stricken
down in the pride of manhood
by the sudden breaking of the
pitcher at the fountain of life. Heart
trouble is the common term for fire.
quent result of our over-nervous, over
exciting modern life. 1t is the price ma
ture demands for eXhausting the vital
forces before their time.
The record of Gen. Mcclellan is a check
cred one Both as a soldier and as poll
tician he has seemed more often to be the
shuttlecock of a tickle fortune than the
architect of destiny. He has, perhaps,
been the subject of more and bitterer con-
troversy among his countrymen than any
other prominent citizen. The events of
his life reveal, in part, the secret for this
diversity of judgment as regards the man,
himself
George Brinton Mcclellan was born in
Philadelphia on the third day of Decem-
Der, 1926. At sixteen years of age he en-
tered the military academy at West Point,
and graduated four years later, with the
second honors of his class. HIS career
from the beginning was brilliant one.
Entering the engineer service as second
lieutenant, he served with gallantry in
the Mexican war, having two horses shot
under him at ContreraS, and distinguish
ing himself at CeIro Gordo and the city
of Mexico. He was brevetted as captain
for "gallantry at the battle of Moleno Del
l. ~, Il
reason that he was not in that battle, AT
the close of the Mexican war young Nc
Clellan served as an officer of engineers
in various parts of the country. In 1851.
he was assistant engineer IN the construc-
ton of Fort Delaware. In 1923 he was
appointed chief engineer in the depart
ment of Texas, having in charge the coast
survey of that State. In 1854 he had
charge of the exploration and survey OF
the western division of the Pacific rail
road and in lS54-5 he was put on specia
service to collect railroad statistics for the
war department In 1853 he was made
captain of artillery, and was member o.
the military commission delegated to viSi
the seat of war in the Crimea. In 1851 h(
resigned his position in the army, anC
from that time until the breaking out d
the civil war was engaged III railroad pro
jects in Illinois and other parts of tn,
West.
On the outbreak of the civil war he wa
residing in Cincinnati and was called OF
by Gov. Denison of Ohio, to aid him in
organizing the Ohio volunteers and I'm
der law hurried through the legislator
of that State, was suddenly raised from
an eX-captaincy to II major generalship o
volunteers over the heads OF many olde
soldiers. a little later he was commits
stoned as major general in the Unite
States regular army, and placed in charg
of department comprising the States q
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and other wester
sections of Pennsylvania and Virginia,
His command of the campaign in West
ern Virginia which resulted in clearing
that region of the confederate forces wo
him fresh fame, and for these services h
received on July Is, the thanks of Con
gress, The defeat of the Union army Il
Bull Run resulted in his summons [
Washington to take command of the arm
of the Potomac. Upon the retirement {