Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-18

AEk,M\\ signed by four MEM
N&NM& beers Of the Presidents
iMAHySAGsSLW cabinet This protest
@1EEkN and the circumstances
~M~ under which Il was
written, a. given by me-, opened up anew
history - to Gen. Mcclellan Of the doings Of
the President and Secretary Stanton at the
time of the greatest peril to the federal govern
ment during the rebellion. In that protest the
President said Of Gen. Mcclellan that at that
time, August 81, 1862, IT was not safe to intrust
to him the command Of any army Of the
United States.
In my letter told ofthe writing Of . similar
protest by Mr.. Stanton, the day before the one
the President wrote. against Gen. Mcclellan,
which protest was also signed by four members
Of the cabinet, and which gave certain reasons
why Gen. Mcclellan should be immediately re-
moved from any command in the armies Of the
United States.
I These two papers were written in Mr.. Stan.
toms rooms in the War Department. I now
disclose for the fret time the very extraordi-
nary protest which Mr.. Stanton wrote, and
which is as follows:
THE PROTEST w1IrTHx BIZ ME-. STANTON.
"Mr. President: The undersigned feel COM
PEELED by profound sense of duty to the gov
eminent and the people OF the United States
and to yourself as your constitutional advisers
respectfully to recommend the immediate re-
moval Of George B. Mcclellan from any COM
mand Of the armies Of the United States. We
are constrained to urge this by the conviction
that after q sad and humiliating trial Of twelve
months and by the frightful and useless sacri-
fee of the lives of many thousand brave men
and the waste Of many millions Of national
means he has proved to be incompetent for
any important military command. And also
because Of recent disobedience TO superior
orders and inactivity he has twice i'm
periled the fate Of the army commanded by
Gen. Pope, and while he continues in command
will daily hazard the fate of our armies and our
national existence. exhibiting no sign Of dis
position or capacity to restore by courage and
diligence the national honor that has been 90
deeply furnished in the eyes Of the world. We
are unwilling to De accessory to the destruction
of our armies, the protraction Of the war. the
waste Of our national resources and the over
throw Of our government which We believe
must be the inevitable consequence OF George
3. Mcclellan being continued in command. and
seek therefore by his prompt removal to afford
an opportunity to capable officers under Gods
providence 10 preserve our national existence"
WHAT LED TO THIS ACTION.
The circumstances under which these pro-
tests were written were the alarming situation
o. Cen. Popes army in the Second Bull Run
battles, and Gen. McClelans disobedience OF
orders in getting his army to Alexandria and
then refusing TO send the troops to Gen. Pope,
who was at the time fighting Lees whole army
Chase at he lens tn,o Mt ~
often and talked Of these doings to Mr.. p. h
Watson, then assistant secretary OF war This led
to the suggestion of the protest by Mr.. Chase and
Mr.. Watson wrote it in substantially the form
which written BIZ Mr.. Stanton as now
give To this protest in Mr.. Stan,on's hand
writing Secretary Chase got the signatures OF
the Secretary Of the Interior and of the Attor-
ney General. and himself and Mr. Stanton
signed it. Mr.. Stanton, therefore, did not sug-
sest the protest. nor did he get the signatures
to 1t. Its charges were sanctioned by four
members OF the cabinet, not including Mr.
Stanton, for although Mr.. Welles declined
| to sign it when asked by Mr.. Chase; he
said he dIsapproved OF the course of Gen. Nc
Cleilan. Mr.. Seward and Mr.. Blair were not
asked TO sign either Of these protests. as they
supported Gen. cClel!an commander OF the
Army OF the Potomac. That both these pro-
tests may be considered together-for their
history and object inseparab!e-and the
full meaning OF their declarations understood,
! mere repeat the protest winch the PRESIDENT
himself wrote and which l first gave to the
public in my letter, above stated. In writ
ing this protest the President had before him
the ono which was in Mr.. StSnton's hand
writing and knew all about it. The one written
by Mr.. Stanton is referred to in Abraham
Lincoln-A History" but the historians never
saw 1t, while the one written by the President
himself was never known to his historians until
it was published in The STAR by me.
THE PROTEST WRITTEN BY THE PRESIDENT.
''The undersigned, who have been honored
with your selection part of your confidential
advisers. deeply impressed with our great re-
sponsibility in the present crisis do but per-
form painful duty in declaring to you our
deliberate opinion that ut this time 1t is not
safe TO intrust to Major General Mcclellan the
command Of any army Of the United States
And we hold ourselves ready At any time to ex-
plain to you in detail the reasons upon which
this opinion 10 based.
ITO the President
This protest bears unmistakable evidence
that the President sanctioned the charges set
out against Gen. Mcclellan in the protest
which was in Mr. stanton's handwriting. The
Presidents protest was written on the morning
OF August 81. aud the immediate cause which
brought it forth was the conduct of Gen. Nc
Clellan at Alexandria in connection with his
not sending out his troops to help Gen.
Pope, then fighting Lees whole army 1t
Bull Run. Up to that time for fourteen
| days Gen. Pope had been fighting almost
| continuously by day and marching by night,
and was at last in the tolls of a fiery
| fighting army and its brilliant leaders, Lee and
Jackson, while the reinforcements he expected
| and lonsed for were still at Alexandria When
| the stories OF the doings and proceedings at
Alexandra and ut Washington to get troops out
| to help Gen. Pope are fully known they will
| show = condition Of things which tended d.
| rectly to the destruction Of Gen Pope's army
and the importing Of the capital. That under
| these conditions Gen. Pope saved his army
from destruction will forever stand to his
credit. which the historian will be constrained
to give.
| MR. LISCoLNs INTERvIIw WITH M'cLRLLAx.
In this connection it is important to note here
that on the afternoon Of September ct Gen.
Hslleck's house, the President summoned
Gen. Mcclellan to see him and told him that hs
had reason TO believe that the Army Of the
Potomac was not cheerfuliy cooperating with
and had no deslye TO help Gen. Pope, and asked
Gen. McClsllan to use his influence to correct
| such state Of things, adding that h. mo
Clellan) could rectify the evil and no one che
| could At the request of the President, Gen.
Mcclellan to telsGrsphed Gen. Porter an earnest
wish for his cordial co-operstion with Gen.
Pope. Gen. Pops's army was then in psrilous
| condition and was still confronted end pressed
by Lee. In this dispatch Gen. Mcclellan ad-
vised Porter that be was In charge Of the de-
lenses Of Washington and doing everything TO
Il H. l.