Madison times., 1886-07-10
STANTON AND MCCLELLAN.
The Great War Secretary in the
Light Of a Private Letter.
The Generals Steadfast Friend-A
Document Just Given to the Public
by Judge Kelley. of Pennsylvania.


the public, was read in the House of Repre-
sentatives last week by Judge Kelley, in |
the course of a speech defending the late |
Secretary Stanton from criticisms made in |
the House by Mr.. Wheeler. of Alabama:
WASHINGTON, ID. c., May IS, 1852.
MY DEAR FRIEND: Yours of the 10th Is |
welcomed as an evidence of the continued /
regard of one whose esteem have always
been anxious to possess. | have been very
well aware of the calumnies busily circula- |
ted against me-in New York and elsewhere
respecting my relations TO General Ne !
Clellan, but am compelled from public cen !
sideratiOns to withhold the proofs that
would stamp the falsehOOd of the accusa
ticns and the base motives of the accusers,
who belong to two classes:
FIRST. Plunderers who have been driven
from the department when they were gorg
ing millions.
SRCOND. Scheming politicians whose de-
signs are endangered by an earnest, resOlute
and uncOmprOmising prosecution of this
war as a war against rebels and traitors.
brief statement Of facts on ofacial re-
ally, will be sufficient to satisfy yourself that
your confidence in me has not been mis-
placed:
FIRST. When entered the Cabinet was
and had been for months the sincere and
devoted friend of General Mcclellan, and TO
support him, and, SO far as might aid and
assist him in bringing the war to close,
MOS n .biaf for IN saorifca
| my personal happiness to sense Of public
| duty. l have studied him earnestly with
| an anxious desire to discover the military
and patriotic virtue that mighl save the
county, and if in any degree disappointed
| hoped on and waited for time 70 develop.
| went into the Cabinet about the 10th Of
January On the 9th the President made
his order No. l, requiring the Army Of the
| Potomac to move. 1t is not necessary or
perhaps proper to state all the causes which
| led to that order, but it is enough TO know
that the government was on the verge Of
bankruptcy, and at the rate Of expenditure
the armies must move or the government
perish. The I'D of February was the day
fixed for the movement, and when it arrived
Potomac than there had been for three
months before Many, very many earnest
conversations had held with General Nc
ClelIan to impress him with the absolute
necessity of active operation, or that the
government would fall because of foreign
Intervention and enormous debt. Between
the I'D of February and the sth of March the
President had again inteIfered and move
ment on Winchester and to clear the block
ade of the Potomac was promised, com
menced and abandoned. The circumstances
cannot yet be revealed. On the Sth of March
the President interfered, ordered the Amy
the Potomac to be organized into army crop.
, and that operations should commence.
THE TWO WAYS INDICATED.
Two lines of operations were Open-On'
moving directly on the enemy at Manassas
and forcing him back to Richmond, beatin,
: and destroying him by superior force and al
, the time keeping the Capital secure by lyiDl
) between it and the enemy. This was tn
. plan favored by the President. The Othe
plan was tn transfer the troops by water I.
4 some point on the lower Chesapeak ant
. thence advance on Richmond. This wa
I General McClellan's plan. The Presiden
:. Yielded his own views, although they wer
o supported by some of the best military me
\ in the country, and consented that the Ger
d eral should pursue his own plan. But by
written order he imposed the special cond
ton that the army should not be remove
without leaving a sufficient force In an
around Washington to make the Capital pc
fectly secure against all danger, and that th
force reauii ed should be determined by II
Judgment Of all the commanders of the arm
corps. In order to enable General McCle
le Ian to devote his whole energy to the NOV
1t msnt of his own army (which was qui
re enough te tax the ability of the ahlest col
"a mander in the world, he was relieved fro
N the charge of the other military departmen
to it being supposed that the respective col
IL manders were competent to direct fhe OPP
ations in their own departments.
of TO enable General Mcclellan to transpo
ct his force every means and power Of the 20
NJ ernment were placed at his disposal and u
ar spariugIy used When a large part OF
o. force had been transferred 70 Fortress Mo
of roe, and the whole of it about to go in 4
ed DAYS. information was given to me by va
elk Gus persons that there was great reason
,ss fear that no adequate force had been left
IN defend the Capital in case Of sudden
in tack: that the enemy might detach Lar
he force and seize it at time when it wou
of be impossible for General Mcclellan to n
at der any assistance. Serious alarm was
pressed by many persons, and many wal
hs ings were siven me which could not N
9e Iect. ordered a report Of the force left
ed defend Washington. 1t was reported
od the commander TO be less than 1000 n
en- recruits, with not single Organized briga'
ed A dash like that made short time oeft
AZ Winchester would ct any time take
mt Capita, Of the nation. The report OF
In force left to defend Washington, and
q, order Of the President, were referred 70 =
he ior General Hitchcock and Adjutaut Gen
Ice al Thomas, to report:
pot Fnsr. Whether the Presidents ora
1as 1ns had been complied with.
MT SrcoSp. Whether the force left TO def
urs the CITY of Washington was sufficient.
rs BOTH NEGArIvED.
They reported in the negative on
points. These reports were submitted TO
sm President, who also consulted General
re- ten. General Taylor, General Meigs