Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-06-18
JUDGE KELLEY INDIGNANT

The real reason of McClellan's fail
ure was that he played at making
war, said Judge William D. Kelley.
as quoted by an article in a recent
New York Herald, when seen at his
Philadelphia residence. For once ru-
NOR was correct, he admitted. He
had returned from Washington, where
he had been in search of official docu-
ments and data to prepare rejoinder
to General McClellan's recent paper on
1.-The Peninsular Campaign" The as
saults upon President Lincoln and
Secretary Stanton called for venge-
ance, like Caesars wounds. and Judge
Kelly has the intent to rise in defense
of the dead.
This Century article is misleading.
Illogical and malicious" continued the
Congressman. knowing that Lincoln
and all his Cabinet who served with
Stanton were dead that Sumner, Ben
Wade, Henry Wilson, Caleb Cushing
and others are gone, he probably
thought that all who knew the real
facts about his career from July, 1861.
to July, 1862, were out of the wav.
General Mcclellan is mistaken. I am
alive. His statements against the dead
shall not pass unchallenged. As must
De evident to you, it would be unwise
TO outline my article now, because it
would destroy its force as a magazine
paper. | want to reach the same class
OF readers that the General has ad
dressed. However severely I NAV
speak of Mcclellan, | must insist that
there is no personal feeling toward
him. | entertained the kindest regard
for him when he came to Washington
III July, 1861. He was Philadelphian,
the son of one of my most distinguished
friends and nephew of an intimate
acquaintance. He was bright, clever
and had the advantages of travel and
a fine education. But he played at
war on the Peninsula. and he knows
it,
What has made you indignant
Judge?"
His malice toward Stanton and the
slur indirectly put upon President Lin
coin, the most remarkable man for
power of thought and soundness of
Judgment, with all his roughness of
manner, that this country has pro-
duced. Why, in that article Stanton
is branded with the most infamous
crime ever laid to the charge of hu-
man being less than sacrific-
ing thousands of men on the Peninsula
in 1862 because of his bitter personal
hatred to Mcclellan. But the writer
of that Indictment fails to offer any
testimony to establish the fact of such
enmlty, or to supply any motive for
Its existence. We are asked to credit
the story that a man of Stanton's cali
bre and attained prominence was de-
voting his entire time to thwarting the
purposes of a young officer who never,
by any possibility, could be his rival.
Stantons career was completed before
McClellan's began. He was lawyer
of national reputation. He had served
in Mr.. Buchanan's Cabinet. He had
no time to pursue Mcclellan. But l
must not argue here.
We'll, then, how about Lincoln?n
The SANDER by innuendo is that
Lincoln was mere putty in Stanton's
hands. That is the sheerest nonsense.
1t is no reflection on the men about
Lincoln to say that he was easily first
among them ALL But this is a side
issue. | shall devote myself gallantly
to this young Napoleon, and shall &C
cept battle in the position he has him
self assumed. He is very careless
about his dates. Observe how he
mikes up things on page 139. Stanton
was not made Secretary until more
than six months after Mcclellan came
to Washington on July Goth, 1861.
Yet the impression is conveyed that
they arrived at the same time"
What do you think of the opening
sentence in the second paragraph in
the article?n was asked
What does Rosecrans think?n re-
torted Judge Kelley. He must have
been savage when he read that.
Everybody knows that he, not McClel-
Ian, planned the West Virginia cam
paign and carried it to success. That
is General McClellan's own error. 1t
is not my business. He can settle
that with old 'Rosey, and the latter is
no slouch in scrape of that kind.n