The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-11-06
ReneraI Georee B. MeCleIhn.

The country was shocked Yesterday
morning by the announcement of the
sudden death Of General George B Nc
Clrlian. There WAS no public Fremont
tiou of the approach of the inexorabie
messenger, and the announcement of
bis death came upon the pnbl'c like the
thunderbolt from an apparently cloud
less sky.
OF the mauy men of pre-eminent dis
tin~tiOn during the most memorable
history of the Republic, Gen. Mcclellan
was like unto none of his contemporaries.
He was man of .he puTest and best
politics a sincere and thoroughly self
sacrificing patriot a masterly military
. organizer q ski,ful and aud brave COM
mander. and one whose political cnun
sells were ever wise and statesmanlike.
H. 0ame to the command of the armies
of the Union the youngest of all who
had held that fearfullv responsible trust,
and he bad to confront the gravest mill
tary duties and dangers. The country
was unused to and unpreDared for war !;
its trusted chiPffan bad failed the
Union arms had suffered defeat in the
first great battle Of the war, anil pOliti-
! ical complications and perils mingled
/ largely with the military dangers which
. beset him. Lincoln believed in McClel-
Ian, and meant to give houest and hearty
support but conflicting methods. polit
/ ical and military jealOusiPs, and the re-
/ treat from Richmond on the Peninsula
eliminated In his removal from COM
mRud. The disgraceful bOmbast and
failure of Pope, and his retreat into the
! intrenchments of Washington after the
! second battle of Manassas, brought the
! Army of the Potomac again under Nc
ba ~ ~ fod rfT nj
/ organizing military powers bv gathering
/ up a defeated and demoraliZed armv and
practically defeating Lee at Antietam.
Soon after Antietam. Gen. McClel-
Ian was again relieved of the command.
and the fredericksburg disaster fol
/ lowed under Burnside. After a winter
OF most disgTacefuI military wrangles
which should have dismissed and dis
graced q dozen generals, Hooker sue
cPeded to the command only to hlunder
again at Charlottesville. Meade and
Gettysburg followed, but it was not un-
til Grant came into supreme command
that the country was prepared for the
/ sacrifice necessary to end the rebellion
/ by the destruction Of Lees army at any
cost. II Mcclellan and Grant were pre-
sented the two widely different methods
Of warfare that made Grant instead of
Mcclellan the chieftan of the war
Had Grant been Confederate officer he
would have been dismissed the first year
/ o! the war and died unknown to fame.
His aggressive and costly methods of
warfare were adapted only to the side
7 that had hnundless resources in men and
money. He was not hing if not aggres-
sivn. aud he would have been an utter
failure as a defensive commander Nc.
Clellan was not an aggressive warrior.
L. 80 . l.
army he was skilfuI brave and eau
tiOus, and he was the best defensive
general of either army in the late war
Had hR heen a Confederate soldier he
would haue Outstripped Lee in ali tne
qualities OF great warrior whose sue
! cess depended upon husbanding resources
ard delivering battle only whpn greater
loss could he Indicted than musr be re-
ceived. l. was this inherent difference
in the destructive qualities Of the two
men hat made Grant. the less accom-
plished soldier, the chieftan of the Re
public.
No man ever bore himself more grand
" than did Gen Mcclellan when re-
tired from his command. Stanton, the
lmpefuOus and impl4cabIe War Miris-
Ger. had entered the War Office as Nc
Clell9n's devoted friend. hut became his
.
gave Mcclellan for the Offense of win.
ming the stars Of COn,mandpr-in- Chief
before his senior, and he shared Stan
toms bitter personal hostility. McCIeI-
Ian was regarded with intense political
and military jealousy. and systematic
and tireless Efforts were given to secure
his destruction but no word or act
came from him that was not manly and
patriotic. He was nominated for Presi
dent in 1864 when Sherman was strup-
Cling for Atlanta and Grant was halted
in his march on Richmnnd. and the de-
Iiverance Of his party on the war wss
pointedly discouraging to the Ioval T,eo-
pie Of the North hut Mcclellan boldly
put himself on broad loyal and patriotic
grounds IN his letter Of acceptance. He
could not avert political defeat, but he
could and did assert his patriotic devo-
ton and vindicate his honor as a SOL
dier.
General Mcclellan was a cnnscien-
/ tl0Us conservative. both as q soldier ana
4 p statesman. and he was called TO act a
/ part when conservative methods in both
politics and war were not accpptahIe tn
the country. The political methods of
war times were simply revolutionary.
and the military methnds finally looked
. to results regardless Of sacrifice. Grant
. l'N' more men IN K1ilad. wounded and
/ missing between the Rapidan and the
James than Lee ever had in front Of
him. and that method Of sacrificing
! three lives fnr one des'roved Lee and
ended the TeheUion McCleIIan youId
never have fought such a camDaign. nor
would anv have fought ii huf Grant.
Mcclellan won1d have taken Richmond
nv overwhelming numbers and ST tratpgv
with Drohah half the loss that Grant
sustained hnt Lees army would have
been still in the field and the rebellion
unr0nquered. Both these great war
riors have passed away. History will
4 give generous measure of iustice to
both. and George B. McCleUan's name
viii rank. in the annals of the nation g
/ achievements. as one of the great gen
( erals and unsul'iad patriots Of his mem
/ orable age.-Phi7od'd Times.
THE CASE OF RTEL.-The existence
! or the Canadian Dominion NAV hang
/ upon sn small thing as the decision Of