The National tribune., 1889-11-07


! il should be much more agreeable FOR both Gems.
/ Mcclellan and Thomas Jonathan jackson TO
| have their respective histories set right now
1 instead OF while living. Surely COmrade Hursh
| is too conservative. He would have rs shut
our eyes 10 irrefutable facts disclosed since tho
war and become impervious and inaccessible TO
| any new ideas. On the principles he enumer-
ates generally, the work Of THE NATIONAL
| TRIBUNE in rectifying history should go for
nothing. Even its able agitation for the Union
| soldier in other directions should be put stop
| 20, and things be put back as they were just
after the war, if not before. Indeed, am ac-
| quainted with men who sincerely believe that
| the Republic has not and never will see such
| prosperity as il had before the war, and know
some-and it is no slander--who will tell You
that even the sun and rain are not quite so good
| as they were then.
According to Comrade Hursh's conservation,
to be consistent Gen. Porter, of breed OF heroes
which seems not to have dcgenerated in him,
and possessed Of all the fine and manly quail
| tiles of great soldier, should still rest under
unjust undeseryed aud torturing punishment,
| which, feel sure, even Comrade Hursh Will
| not agree TO- nor anyone else who investigates
| the subject for himself.
Gen. Pope, too, would still have his =" head
quarters in the saddle in his Virginia cam
paign, though it is now well known that tho
| ridiculous story was without truth and in
| though Gen. Pope in his Virginia campaign
considering all the circumstances and the odds,
proved exceptional ability a General, with
great yigOr aud chivalrous courage we should
| still believe that the men who fought SO well
under him aud tho gallant Porter, Hcintzel-
man, Hooker Kearny, Schenck, MilrOy, Rey-
| nolds, Gibbon, Warren, Banks and others lost
their courage, and that Mcclellan alone, who
was never in person under fire or present on a
| single battlefield of the Peninsula or after,
could restore il. We should also believe that
Gen. Mcclellan, though he took but II days to
| reach the Peninsula with over 100000 men,
| could not return with 10000 in less time than
| % days, reinforce Gen. Pope, save him and the
brave fellows with him the reverse, and enable
him and them to crush Lee and end the war (;
or we should believe, too. that Gen. Mcclellan
! saved the country, as he has told us he did, and
give him the credit for it, because Lee, with
| less than half their numbers. did not whip the
| Army of the Potomac at Antietam, and al
though he was culpably allowed by Mcclellan
| TO get back home again TO Virginia. Though i
| do not believe il, there are still some ION the
| offensive, or at least but a fraction. on the
other hand, who believe he was traitor. lie
| was simply very bad politician and a very
bad General. without enough courage TO request
! his men 10 fight. While writing, singnlarly, 1
have received letter from a comrade, who
never knew. in Colorado i'm which he says:
-
had chance 10 know from the prison guards,
IS well rs from the city papers that the hopes
1 Of the Coniederacy hung upon Mcclellan S
election. Happily he proved as much of a
| failure politically as in his military capacity /;
and give the New Jersey comrade Though /
/ think he is mistaken in thinking Kearny ever
said the words Phil. kearny's burning words
al Malvern Hill: i, Phil. Kearny, knowing the
| responsibility ! assume when l say it, declare
George b. Mcclellan TO be a coward OF trait
or" As have said, feel sure that he was
not traitor. but there arc very strong grounds
for believing that he approached painfully
close 10 deserving the other word Aud on
I the principles cuunciated, almost the entire
/ Army OF the Potomac, with many many others,
should believe, and Mcclellan has so told us.
that Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Stanton wished TO
sacrifice Mcclellan and his heroic army for base
political ends. BUT 10 would take too long even
10 enumeraie the many exploded ideas
While / think Of il, did il ever occur 10 the
New jersey comrade that Grant got organ
lied " aud equipped, and mostly with the odds
against him fought Belmont. eGecting his pur-
pose; took Forts Henry and DonesoD, with
large numbers Of prisoners and cannon and
great quantities of other material. striking
/ terror, encouragement and decentralization into
the entire COnlcderacy; and gained the great
and important victory OF Shiloh. one of the
most important Of the war, before Mcclellan
Vi
TO fight?
II is assumed, as a matter Of course, that the
| New jersey c0mTade is possessed of inteli-
gence. The suggestion is vertured that he
read over again Capehart's Valley Campaign,
comparing il with the dispatches OF President
Lincoln, Dir. Stanton, Gems. Lee, Jackson, Me-
Clelan, sbields, Mcdowell, Fremont, Scheuck
Milroy aud Others with reports and other Off
| cial documents 20 be found in the Records,
/ Vols IL and IL, easily accessible When 10 ia
believed. the paper will be found tolerabiy cor
rect, at least as 10 the facts. He will find, too
among other things that jackson finally got
out OF the Valley badly pounded, shattered and
demorAlIzed. 50 much 50 that all he had left Oi
his army of $4,000 men 10 reinforce Lee al
Richmond with was an inefficient force OF less
than 5000 men ION the authority Of Mr. JEFF
Davis, Gen. Lee aud others), which gave Gen
Lee no assistance. That Jackson did not whiI
Fremont, but that Ewell did with less than
bali his numbers, though his army, unde.
Schenek, Milroy, Cluseret etc. was not whipped
at all, not being allowed 10 fight IL out being
pulled of by Fremont much 10 their dissatis
faction. That Jackson lost in killed and
wounded iabOut 400. with prisoners and artil
leTyl nearly three times rs many as the mere
handful Of Union men at Port Republic, which
he fought with his entire army, and that be
fore the day Was over he ran IN an unseemly
and demOTaliZiug retreat 10 the mountains
Fremont retreaicd without anyone pursuing
and contrary 10 Mr.. LincOlns orders THAI
Shields was ordered back against his protest q
help Mcclellan Preaching him, greatly to hi
relief, aud then the claim was made for Jack
son that he had whipped everything befor,
him. aud then Though il was eight days beloT.
be started aud having been reinforced from
Lee fell upon poor hcClellan's right naHl
with his 29Og0 or $4,000 mot speak log Of re
inioTcementsj and fought furIOuAIy, though b,
did not touch McClellan's flank aud can hardl,
be said 20 have fought at all (see bis ofiieia
report, McCleilau's timidity making jackson
famous over the world That Gen Mcclellan
became quite unnecessarily aud culpably scarce
and panicstricken &C his vicinity. That he be
gan packing up his headquarters for fight Will,
Gen. Porter, subaltcrn, with but 1900 men
WAS conteHding successfully az Gsiness Mil
with almost Lees entire army. jackson includ
cd. That Mcclellan did take flight lthe tern
- changed base" being an aiterthought 20 hid,
the humiliation from the country contrary u
his agreement sith Gen. Porter 10 sustain hin
or move on Richmond lsee Records without
permitting about 5000 of as brave men as eye
cOntendcd In war 10 fire shot for the Union
and though Gen. Lee numbered all told, and
including Jackson, ia round numbers, but 75,
, 900 20 his $4,000 That Gen. Sumner repulseC
, the enemy June 20 Gen. Mcclellan being To,
far 10 the rear 10 take advantage of IL, and Gen
, Sumner had to be "chOked Off" That Gen
, Heintzelman, with Kearny and Others met th,
enemy again successfully June 30, Gen Nc
Clsllan too far 20 the rear 10 take advantage O
9 IT, but exciting the army to celebrity of mo