The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-10-30

thcfe W ~ IN the late CIVIL war; ana
will ever bs In the history growing
on. os Is, no more familiar name than
that Of GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN. In
soms respects he was one of the vie-
Tins of tuat unfortunate struggle, in
olhey, one OF It's heroes. There are
men in numbers who think that he
was military failure, others who can
never regard him otherwise than as q
military genius. Time aud the sift-
ing processes alone o. impartial his
torians can give 20 MoCLELLAN his
tue place in history. Il would be,
perhaps, but just TO say that both his
ardent admirers and his merciless
critics are wrong. He was great en-
gineer, brave and skillful general, an
eminent civilian, while possibly not a
"young NAPoLEoN," as he was called
when he started for the peninsula.
When MCCLELLAN was at the head
OF the Northern armies, the North had
not awakened TO the magnitude OF the
task befors it, and the general failed.
An excitabls and uninformed people
could not hear OF defeat, and McCLEL.
Ian was sacrificed. Had he been
glvea tho confidence, the myriads Of
soldiers and vast resources that were
afterwards placed at GRANTS COM
mand, tho war might have ended In
1852 instead OF 1865. Ia u word, GEN
ERAL MCCLELLAN, scholarly, exps-
rlenced, patriotic and skilltul as no
was, came on the stage OF action too
soon in the civil war, snd fell q victim
to the olamorous iguDrance which al
forwards learned valuable lessons.
GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN was born ia
Philadelphia, December 3, 1926. Iu
1872 no graduated at tho Pennsylvania
University, and afterwara, in '46, ut
West Point. He fought through tho
Mexican war, aud was two or three
times breverted for gallsntry. Ho as
sisted In tho construction of Fort Dela-
ware, accompanied expeditions to the
Northwest, and In 1855 won't as % mean.
bBr OF military commission to tho
Crlmea. In 1857 he resigned his COM
mission Ia tho army and WAS chiof en-
glneor aad vice-pcssiien, OF the llli-
nois Ceatral railroad, snd in 1860 wss
president OF rhs st. Louis d. Clnctn-
natl road. LII 1861 his services were
called ioso requisitiou by the governor
OF Ohio, and hs way mado m ljoc-gati-
eral OF volunteers. Shortly after, the
president appointed him major-gsn-
eral in tho United States army. He
succseded Ia wlnning auccespos IN
West Virginia, and then, upon ScoTr's
ratiranen5, bscs ms commander OF the
Federal armios, aud undertook
The disastrous peninsula campaign.
Afterward he fought the bat
TICS OF South Mountain and Antiaian
against LEE, but was finally. thrcugb,
pubic clamOr,reieved from command
and retired, for the remainder
OF the war, To Now Jersey. Ga
the 3lsI OF Auguet "a no was the DOM
ocratic nominee for tho presidency,
but carried only the three States OF
New Jersey, Delaware aud kentucky.
On January is, 1878, no was inaugu-
rated as governor Of New Jersey. And
now death has stricken him after his
long and useful career, like hidden
archer, anticipated it may be, but at
last sudden and terrible.
The personal character and integ-
rlty OF GENERAL MoCLELLAND were
OF the highest type. Even his foes re-
spected him, and though tho North
and tho country may not mourn him
with ths ostentstion and clamorous
grief that followed GRANT to the grave,
ono OF their greatest and beat defend
ors In the darkest hour OF their HIS
tory has gone. For the South. we say
peacs to his memory aud ashes.