The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-11-06


ton. You have done your best to sac.
rifce this army
During the Peninsular campaign he
fought the battles of Yorktown, Han
over Court. House, Williamsburg, Fair
Oaks and Malvern Hill, and while ex
ecuting difficult and hazardous flank
movement in changing his base from
the Chickahominy to the James river
was engaged in almost constant fight
ing for seven days. In the meantime
Gen. Halleck had been installed as
Commander-in-Chief at Washington
and Mcclellan thus shorn of part of
his authority. One of the first acts of
Halleck was to order Mcclellan to fall
back from before Richmond to York
town and Fortress Monroe. In August
Gen. Pope lost the second battle Of
Bull Run, and Gen. Mcclellan was
put in command of the defenses of
Washington. Gen. Lee started to in
wade Maryland and Pennsylvania, and
Gen. Mcclellan was again put 10 com
mand of the Army of the Potomac
and ordered TO intercept this move
ment of the enemy. lie gained the
great victories Of South Mountain and
Antietam, and Lee was driyen back
into Virginia
| Ills UNJUST REMOVAL.
Fault was found with him because
he did not pursue the enemy after the
victory of Antietam, gained Sept. 16
and II, and here was the turning point
in his military career. His own ex-
planation of why he did not follow
Lees army was given in report after
wards publsed, and is as follows
"The night, however, brought with
it grave responsibilities whether to
renew the attack on the 18th or to de-
fer it even with the risk of the enemy
retirement was the question before me.
After a night of anxious deliberation,
and full and careful survey of the
situation and condition of our army
and the strength and the position of
the enemy. | concluded that the sue
cess of an attack on the 18th was not
certain. l am aware of the fact that
under ordinary circumstances a gener-
al is expected to risk battle if he has
reasonable prospect of success AT
that moment-Virginia lost, Washing
ton menaced, Maryland invaded-the
national cause could not afford to run
no risks of defeat One battle lost, aud
almost all woulda ahave been lost. Lees
army might then have marched as it
pleased to Washington, Baltimore,
| Philadelphia and New York.
Gen. Mcclellan was superseded on
the night of Nov 7, 1862, by Gen
Burnside, and was ordered TO report at
Trenton, N J. If he had kept com
mand of the army it is at least prob
| able he would have met the reverses
that befel Burnside and Hooker, who
followed him.
| THE TESTIMONY OF MIR. BLAINE.
1t is interesting here to quote what
Mr. Blaine has said in his Twenty
Years in Congress on the order reliev-
ing General Mcclellan. 1t is remark
able coming as it does from 80 strong
political enemy
"The reasons for this sudden and
peremptory order were not gwen, and,
if expressed, would probably have been
only and assertion of the utter impos.
sibiity that the War Department and
Gen. Mcclellan should harmoniously
cooperate in the great military move
ments which devolved on the Army of
the. Potomac. But the time of remov
al was not opportunely selected by The
Administration. He had
rolled back the tide of invasion by
great battle in which for the first time
the army of Lee had been beaten. He
was now marching forward with his
army strengthened for another con.
tlict, and without explanation to the
country or to himself was deprived of
his command, A large part of the
people and of the public press and an
! overwhelming majority in the army
were dissatisfied with the act and be
lieved that it would entail evil conse-
quences. ...
After this the words of Gen. Nc
Clellan himself on the same subject
may be given;
'The army had need of rest. After
the terrible experiences of battles and
marches, with scarcely an interval of
repose, which they had gone through
from the time of leaving for the Pen
insula the return to Washington the
victory at South Mountain and again
at Antietam, it was not surprising that
they were in large degree destitute
OF the absolute necessaries to effective
duty. Shoes were worn out blank
cts were lost clothing was in rags in
short, the army was unfit for active
service and an interval for rest aud
equipment was necessary. When the
slowly forwarded supplies came to us |
led the army across the river, renovat-
ed, refreshed, in good order and disci-
pline and following the retreating foe
to position where | was confident Of
| decisive victory, when, in the midst of
the movement, while my advance-guard
was actually in contact with the enemy
| was removed from my command
There il hardly room Tor doubt that
if Gen. Mcclellan had been permitted
TO carry out his own plan of operations
he would have captured Richmond and
ended the war at least two years be-
fore it was done by Gen. Grant and
with analmost incalcuable saving OF
life and property on both sides. He
yielded without complaint to the order
of removal and took 10 further part in
the war He did not resign his posi-
tion in the army, however, till Novemb-
er, 1864. When he visited Boston in
the winter of lS63,64 he was most en-
thusiasticallyreceived, as he had been at
other places, and was presented with a
magnificent sword.
| NOMINATED FOR PRESIDENT
10 June, 1864, he delivered an ad.
dress at the dedication of the Soldier
Monument at West Point which at
Il acted much attention throughout the
country and much strengthened the
sentiment that already existed in the
Democratic party in favor of his nomi-
nation for the Presidency The Demo
cratic National Convention did not