Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-10

! tngton. lou have done your best to sacr1f1co
this army. The Secretary received the accu-
| satton In silence, which was the confession Of
truth. II IL were not true, Mcclellan deserved.
and would have received. quick punishment for
/ the gross insubordina.tsn, and the country
seu.d have justified any imposed penalty. II
Mr.. Stanton had dared dispute Its truth and
appeal on tbs facts to the honest Judgment Of
q soart-nsrtial or 10 the country, he would. Of
course, have done %. Not only did he fail to
resent 1t, but he kept the dispatch secret, and
when some tins later it laid before the
committee on the conduct OF the war the CON
sIud1ng sentences above quoted were sup
pressed. 1t appears thus mutilatsd in that
neaa OF worthless, because falsihsd and
Trustworthy, rubbish which forms a large part
OF tbs printed report Of that committee"
| few days after the receipt OF this alleged
muslAtsd selsgran, and referring to 1t and to
teener telegram, MIR. Stanton wrote Gen. Nc
/ Clellan fellows:
Tho gallsntry of every officer and man in
| year noble army shall be suitably acknowl-
| edged. Con Marcy il here and will take YOU
chsering nsws. Be assured you shall have the
support of this dspartusntand the government
~ cordially and faithfully was ever renAsred
BY man to man, and II We should ever live to
ses sssh otssr face to face You viii be satisfied
/ &at you have never had frem ne ANYTHING but
tas most csnAdins integrity"
Tins sEswer doss not appear to haze been
written under the sting OF that terrible charge.
Recalling thAs very telegram I now declare shat
q asivsred to ar. Stantcn from the Telegraph
ocies Il did net contain tho sentences which
Gen. AcCisilsn's historian, Mr.. ". G. Prime,
says we're suppressed by Mr.. Stanton.
rnr rKI-pshAM AZ Mr. STANTON RECEIVED IT.
The following Is copy of that telegram as II
was delivered to Mr.. STATION,
"McOLrLLAs's, June 2s, 1920 am.
81 know now the full history Of the day. On
this side OF the river (the right bRnk) We re-
pulssd several s:Tong attacks. On the left bank
bar mer did all that usn could do, all that sol
citrs could accoInpiiAh. even after brGpght ny
LAT rsserves into action. Tho loss on both
st1ss Il terrible l believe it will prove to be
ths mos: desperate battle of the wnr. The sad
reuziaute Of nay mon behave uen. Those
battGlions who fought most brsvely and who
EufcTed most are still in the best order. Ny
regulars we're supsrb and count upon Via;
are oft 20 turn saother battle IN coIn pahy with
usir gallant cCuiTadsz OF the volunteers Had
twenty thousand 80, COO or even ten thousaud
&c eSey fresh .roopa 10 use tomorrow ! could
take Richmond but / have rot a MAJ In re-
serve, and shall be glad 60 cover nv retreat and
save ii. sssrisl aud psr.ohns. Of the army. II
We haze lOSt The day re have yet preserve our
homo, and 81, ,ed blush for the Army Of
the Potomac ! have los: This battle be-
oaus" my force Was TOO small / again
repeat TINT all hot Responsible
tJT this, aid say il with tAs ssrnostnsss Of &
general who ts-is IN bi4 heart the loss If every
brave ~le has been p.edle,si, sacrificed
today. stiil hope 70 rS.risrs our fortunes,
but 70 do Ai. tns gorerpulsnt must view Che
u.tsar In The same earnest light that dc Yon
must s1ui ina vsEy large reiafor-e mems and
seat .AsHa ~ once. skali draw beck to this
side 81 the Chickahominy and think can
withdraw sll material. Please understand that
IN Ills battle We Lave lost nothing but me and
those tho best Ne nave
In additicI. to what have already said
snly wish to say :. tAs Prssident that think he
4 ~ n I-.R. h.v,
st!i hat my force was too weak | merely in
t1msttd truth which today has been too
psinl, proved. II a. this Instant could dis
rose OF ten thousand IL, e0oJ fresh men could
gain victory tomorrow
- know that = fow thousand moro men would
have changed ths battle from, defeat to a VIC
tory As IL Is the government must not and
sAnasi hold me rssponsble for the result.
fesi zoo ehraestly tonight. / have seen too
MANY dead ard wounded comrades 20 feel
Otherwise thar that tho government has not sus-
tainea th'- army. If yca do not do so now the
game u lost. &c. l.. MCCLELLAN
"Hon. E. NJ STATION,
Secretary Of War"
Moreover, Dir. Stanton had too much force
Of character TO brook such q grave insult in
shence. DE WAS too stern, too impulsive, to
pass BY such charge and write the gentle and
kind letter he did 10 Gen. Mcclellan. No. in
dsed, Mr.. Stanton was not that kind of man.
Not only his. but five days after this alleged
uutiiaied and iudsfeusibie telegram was sent
Gen Mcclellan wrote Mr. Stanton long letter
and ssnt II 10 him by Gen. Marcy, telling the
Secretary how bis army fought day after day
OF the bravery Of his army, how he saved every
thing, Of hia great losses, OF tbs bad roads and
appealing to Mr.. StantoB's judymen. that New
bern should be evacuated and all Burnsids's
army should be sont to him. In this letter he
asks for 100 900 men to reinforce his army. 1t
does not seem reasonable that after charging
Mr.. Stanton with such reasonable intent. with
having done his best 10 destroy the army with
having planned its destruction from the begin
ming, he could 30 soon after make such an
appeal for help to this very Secretary who had
dane hts beat to destroy his army.
Two days before this alleged charge Of treason
against the Secretary Con. Mcclellan sent q
dispatch TO him aging: 'Do not believe reports
Of disaster and do net be discouraged if you
even Yorktown in tho possession OF the enemy.
Hope for the best and 7 will not deceive the
hopes you formerly placed in me-"
DID NOT KEEP IT SECRET.
MIR. Stanton did not keep this telegram secret,
ss charged by Mr.. Prime, but he at once went
TO the White House and showed it to the Presi-
dent, who that very day answered il as follows:
Save your army at all events. VIII send re-
achievements as soon as we can. OF course they
cannot reach you today, tomorrow or the next
day. have lot said you were ungenereus for
saying that you needed reinforcensnts; I
thought you were Ungererous in assuming that
did not send them as fast As could. ! feel
the nAfertuns to you and your army as kesniy
as you feel it yourself. II you have had drawn
battle or a repulss. 1t is the price we pay for
the enemy not being in Washington. We pro-
footed Washington and tbs enemy concentrated
on you. Had We stripped Washington he would
have bssn upon US before the troops sent could
have got TO you. Less than = week ago you no
tiled u. that achievements were leaving Rich
MSnd to come IL front Of us. 1t is the nature
Of the case, and neither you nor the government
lie to biams. Please tell uas at once the present
condition or 1psct of things.'
Referring again to tia. telegram of Cen
GcCloI,sn II is stated By his historian that il
was laid before Congress In mutilated coadi-
ton By Mr.. Stanton. This is not true That
telegram, among others, was submitted to the
committee conduct Of the war by Gen.
Hitchcock in his testimony given before that
committee relating 70 ths Psninsular campaign
and the protection Of Washington. These tsle-
grams Gen. Hitchcock states, were furnished
him At his OWE request in January. 1863. by the
Secretary, who sent for a clerk and directed
him to give Gen. Hitchcock copies Of all tele-
grams he wanted, and 10 show him all that re-
lated 10 the matter. Gen. Hitchcock states:
Il then examined \ considerable file Of papers
and separated from the rest a number, Of which
copies we're furnished NE" This clerk Was of
the telegraph once, but Gen. Ecksrt, now Of
New York, was then in charge, aud / cannot
bsasv. that tais telegram was mutis,sd by him