Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-12-10


No book recently issued will attract
more attention than the military me
moirs of General Mcclellan, edited by W.
G. Prime. Like General Grants book it
is the personal narrative of one of the
chief actors in the greatest conflict in
which this nation WAS ever engaged, It
is also. like General Grants book, a com
mentalH upon the important affairs,
principally military, in which the nara
tor was engaged. Unlike General Grants
book, however, is ouG-sdrd and egotis-
tical-au accou,# in which the Individual,
with his actions and his opinions, takes
precedence Of the course of history. But
it is a readable book, and there is an in
terrst even in its egotistical and opinion
ated uttrrauces, for they are those of a
man who for a time was the most prom
inent figure in the eyes of the nation.
This book however, will not change the
estimate which Gen. McClelan's country
men have placed upon him. 1t will rather
strengthen the verdict, for throughout the
volume, Gen. McClellan's peculiar self
consciousness, self-sufliciency, distrust of
others and desire TO elevate himself and
excuse his short -comiucS at the expense of
his fellow commanders are prominently
seen. McClellan's extreme egotism crops
out in such passages as the following;
invariably took the ground that was
thoroughly opposed to slavery, regarding
It asa great evil, especially to the whites
of the south, but that in my opinion no
sweeping measure Of emancipation should
/ be carried out, unless accompanied by
. arrangements providing for the new
relations between employers and EN-
, ployed, carefully guarding the rights and
| interests of both. My own view was that
emancipation should be accomplished
gradually aud that the negroes should be
/ fitted for it by certain preparatory steps
in he way of education, recognition of
the rights of family and marriage prohi-
/ bltlon against selling them without their
own consent, the freedom of those born
after certain date, etc. | was always
prepared to make it one of the essential
conditions of peace that slavery should he
/ abolished within a fixed and reasonable
/ period. Had the arrangements of the
/ terms of peace been in my hands | should
certainly have insisted on this.
OF course Gen. Mcclellan had poor
. opinion of IIalleck He says of him:
Speaking Of Hallecll, day or two be
fore he arrived from WASHINGTON, Stanton
cnme 20 caution me against trusting Hal
leck, who WAS, he said. probably the
greatest scouudrel and most barefaCed
William IN America He said that he was
totally destitute of principle. and that in
the Almaden quicksilver case he had con
vcted lialleck of perjury in open court.
When lialleck arrived he came to eau
ton me against Stanton, repeating almost
precisely the same words that stanton had
employed. OF all men whom have en-
cOuntered in high position Halleck was
the most hOpeleSsly stupid. 1t was more
difficult To get an idea through his head
than can be conceived. do not think he
ever had a correct military notion from
beginning to end.
OF Gen. Mcdowell, he says that he was
incompetent and an intriguer, and so dis
liked by his troops that it was not safe for
him after the second Bull Run to visit his
own camps, for the men had sworn to
kill him Pope and Mcdowell, he says
did all they could to ruin the country
THIS is Gen. McClellan's little offset to the
prevailing judgement, which charges to
his own jealousy and sluggishness the fail
I ure of Pope's campaign.
Even for President Lincoln Gen. Nc
Clellan has not a single word OF Kindness
or commentator. The most cordial
thing he has to say for him is: "My re
latiouS with Mr.. Lincoln were generally
very pleasant, and seldom had trouble
, with him when we could meet face 10
face. The difficulty always arose behind
| my back" OF Secretary Stanton he
writes with extreme bitterness, insinuat-
) ing that the secretary of war was the
basest of traitors. He says
/ From the light that has since been
, thrown on Stanton's character, am salts
fled that from an early date he was en-
gagged in Il reasonable conspiracy When
! reached Washington Fin 1863 he did his
g best to ngratate himself with me- The
I most disagreeable thing about him was
I the extreme virulence with which he
, abused the president, the administration
and the republican party. He never spoke
= of the president in any other way than as
4 the original gorilla, and often said that
[ Du Chaillu was fool to wander all the
way to Africa in search of what he could
50 easily have found at Springfield, i'll.
He often advocated the propriety of my
i seiZing the government and taking AFFAIRS
= into my ewn hands. His purpose was to
. endeavor To climb upon my shoulders ana
then throw me down. soon after Mr.
, Stanton became secretary OF war IT be
S came clear that, without any reason
1 known to me, our relations had complete
J ly changed. Instead of using his new
= position to assist me he threw every Oh
: stacl- in my way, and di all IN his power
! TO create difficulty and distruSt between
the president and myself.
Most Of this must be set down aS pure
: invention on the part of Gen. Mcclellan.
y He can not make Intelligent people be-
Y lieye that Mr. Stanton abused Mr.. Lin
r cola 10 Gen. Mcclellan, or ever thought
70 of such thing as permitting him to make
c himself dictator. The character of these
r memoirs may be judged from the above
extracts. 1t is book SO bitter, indis-