The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-04
LEE AND MCCLELLAN.

The Philadelphia Press tells the story
of letter that General Mcclellan is
said to have sent General Lee after
Antietam. The story rests upon the
statement of a Roman Catholic Bishop
of southern diocese. The letter asked
for an immediate meeting for discus
sion of a subject of the highest i'm
Dortance."
The Press gives the particulars of a
conversation between Lee and Long
street concerning the message. The
letter was carried by Longstreet to his
headquarters, where it was discussed
with Toombs, who thought Lee should
meet. Mcclellan and ascertain what
this matter of the highest importance
! was Longstreet rode over to Lees
headquarters and told him that his
view was the same as Toombs'. Hav-
ing listened to what Longstreet had to
! say, Lee said:
L, too, have been thinking this mat
! ter over, and l have come to an opin-
ion 1 reason in this way: General
Mcclellan cannot want to see me in
relation to an exchange of prisoners or
any kindred subject. There is a per
Iect understanding about those things.
At all events, he would have so slIg-
gested in his letter. If he wants to see
me about the conduct of the war. he
proposes a discussion which neither he
nor L have any right to enter upon
with one another. If he wants to see
me with regard to any settlement of
TINS strife, he is assuming authority
Tor himself and for me which we do
not possess. Those subjects are ex
cluslVely for the administration at
richmond and the administration AT
washington. I viii not see him.
This of course ended the matter
Longstreet was allowed to retain the
letter, which was burned in the fire
that destroyed his house. The letter
IS not mentioned by either Lee or Nc
Clellan in their memoirs.
The Press comments on the letter in
these terms:
Longstreet has his own idea of what
Mcclellan had in mind, and he was
satisfied General Lee was of his opin-
ion. The battle Of Antietam had been
fought, and Lee had been driven south
OF the Potomac. 1t was g Union vic
tory by reason of Lees reDulse but it
was not full victory, because McClel-
Ian had permitted Lee to escape him.
The impression which General Lee had
" oS tAldt hCOlellan proposed TO Sug-
gest suspension of hostilities, and
possibly to treat with Lee for the clos |
ing of the war, the only terms that |
Mcclellan would ask being the restora-
ton of the Union. If the negotiations |
were disapproved by Mr. Lincoln's adj I
mlnistration, then Mcclellan expected |
TO go to the people with the plea that
ne had made honorabl propositions /
for ending the war upon the simple /
basis OF the restoration of the Union. /
and that he had been prevented from I
concentrating those plans by Mr.. Lin
coin. and his cabinet, a position which
he thought would make him inevitably
a powerful candidate for the succession
10 the presidency. That may not have
been McClellan's purpose, but it was
both General Lees and General Long
streets impression that it was what he
had in mind when he sought this pri
Vate conference with the general of the
southern army.
We cannot agree with the view here
put forth. No one has any right to
impute motives, and especially bad
motives, to the dead. The letter on
which these aspersions upon McClel-
lans character are founded is de-
stroyed, and neither Lee nor Mcclellan
mentions it. which must be considered