The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-10-31
DEATH OF GEO. B. MCCLELLAN.

1T
Jersey, at $40 o'clock on Thursday morn
ing, of neuralgia of the heart, in the 59tl
year of his age. The first symptoms o
the disease had shown themselves bu
three weeks ago, yet neither himself o
his family physician regarded the matte
as at all serious. On Wednesday morning
feeling in unusually good spirits, he drov'
TO Orange with his daughter, transacted
considerable business and returned home
ate hearty supper, and retired at an earl.
hour, intending TO return to Orange earl,
next day. At II O'Clock at night the pain
of his former attack returned, and for thu
next four hours he suffered intense agony
About 3 o'clock there was a change. He
gave deep sigh Of relief, smiled family
and said 81 feel easy now. Thank God
| have pulled through" Then he sank
back upon the pillow as If exhausted clos
ing his eyes. The doctor, who had beer
watching his face with extreme solicitude
saw the unerrng signs of approaching col
lapse, and whispered to Mrs. Mcclellan
II fear he is dying" 1t was but too true
Gen. Mcclellan raised himself up on one
hand, half opened his eyes, and fell back
dead.
George b. Mcclellan was born in Phila
delphia Dec. 3, 1926. He studied at the
University of Pennsylvania, and in 1912
entered the military academy at West
Point, graduating second in his class in
.S4G. He served with distinction during
the Mexican war, and was breveted cap
tain. In 1853 he was appointed member
of military commission to visit the seat
of war in the Crimea. He resigned his
commission in the army in 1857 to take the
post of chief engineer of the Illinois Cen
trail Railroad, of which he was made presi.
dent in 1853. At the opening of the civil
war in 1861, he was commissioned a major
general of volunteers, and placed in com
mand of the department of the Ohio His
first campaign was made in West Virginia,
which, after a few brilliant engagements,
he succeeded in clearing of confederate
forces, giving him such prestige that, after
the first Bull Run defeat, he was placed in
command of the army Of the Potomac, and
on the retirement of Gen. Scot soon after
wards, lie was commissioned general-in-
chief of the armies of the United States.
The first great work to which he gave
his attention was to mould the abundant
crude material placed in his hands into an
effective army, a labor in which he was oc-
cupied until the spring of 1862, and it is
that in such work no com
mander ever wrought more etfectually.
In March, 1862, the great campaign against
Richmond was inaugurated by way of the
Peninsula, the details Of which would oc-
cupy too much space here. 1t is sufficient
to say, that in the light of history the plan
of the campaign was faultless and its en-
tire success was only defeated by interior
ence from Washington, most notably by
the withdrawal, at the most critical mo-
ment, of the support of the 10000 men I'M
der Gen Mcdowell, upon whose co-opera-
ton at given juncture the whole plan
hinged The seven days battles, retire
ment of the army to Harrison's landing, its
return to Washington, the change of com
mand from Mcclellan to Pope, the second
disaster of Bull Run, the removal of Pope
and Reinstatement of Mcclellan, speedily
followed by the victory at Antietum, and
the subsequent second displacement of
Mcclellan and the appointment Of sue
cesSion of failures and incompetents down
to the transfer of Grant from the west are
matters Of history far beyond the limits of
any mere newspaper article.
Whatever may have been the justice or
injustice of the criticisms of Gen. McClel-
Ian as a military commander, all concede
that he was sincere patriot, an honorable
gentleman and brave Christian soldier.
If he made mistakes in the opening cam
paigns of the greatest war of the century,
it must be remembered that his study was
to save the lives of his men, at Il time
when the country would have been horri-
fed at n loss OF 10000 in a campaign,
while the loss of double the number sub
sequently in single battles like the Wilder.
ness and Cold liarbor scarcely excited a
murmur.
The public career of Mcclellan may be
said TO have closed with his candidacy for
the presidency and defeat in 1864, since
which he has been employed in a variety
of ways as practical engineer, with the
single exception OF his election rs Gov
ernor of New Jersey in 1877. His life,
since his retirement from the army, has
been prosperous and happy. He always
had money, and has made many additions
to 1t. He had head for mathematics and
finance His ability was shown before the
war in the reorganization of the Illinois
Central, and has been manifested in sim
liar enterprises since. At his death he was
president of copper company with sal
airy of $4,000 year,