The record-union., 1897-11-30
of the Secretary of War is characters

of the Secretary of War is characters
tic:
Washington, Feb. i, '6-.
Dear Sir: If General Fremont has
any fight in him he shall $50 far as /
am concerned) havs a chance to show
it, and l have told him so. The times
require the help of every man accord
ing to his gifts, and having neither
partialities nor grudges to indulge, il
VIII be my aim to practice on the max
i'm The tools to him that can handle
them''
There will be serious trouble between
Hunter and Lane. What Lanes ex-
petition has in view, how it came 70
be set on foot, and what is expected
+ to be accomplished by it, do not know
and have tried in vain to find out. 1t
seems to be a haphaZard affair that no
one will admit himself to be response
bic for. But, believing that Lane has
pluck and is an earnest man. he shall
have fair play. If you know anything
about him or his expedition, pray tell
it to me.
10 bring the War Department I'D to
the standard of the times, and work an
army of 100000 with machinery adapt
ed to a peace establishment of - 900,
is no easy task. This was Mr. Cam
eron's great trouble and the cause of
much OF the complaints against him.
All L ask is reasonable time and pa
tlence. The pressure of members Of
congress for clerk and army appoint
ments, Notwithstanding the most strin-
gent rules, and the persistent strain
against all measures essential to OBJ
tain time for thought, combination, and
| conference, is discouraging in the eX-
treme-it often tempts me to quit the
helm in despair The only consolation
| is the confidence and support of good
| and patriotic men-to their aid l look
| for strength. Yours truly,
EDWIN NJ. STANTON.
| c. A. Dana. Esq, Tribune" Office.
| The position of General Mcclellan,
we believe to-day, was injured by an
excess of zeal, evinced by his own
friends. Mr.. Dana thus explains con-
ditions:
When Mr.. Stanton went into the War
Department there was great dissatis-
faction in the Tribune office with
Mcclellan. He had been placed in
command of the Army of the Potomac
IN the preceding August, and since No
Vember lst had been in command of all
the armies of the United States; but
Whlle he had proved himself an excel
lent drill-master, he had, at the same
tlme, proved that he was no General at
all His friends were loyal. however.
and Whatever success our armies met
with was attributed to his generalshin
When the capture of Fort Donelson
was announced McClellan's friends
GAINED that he had directed it by tele
sraph from his Headquarters on the
Fotomac. Now, the terminus of the tel
egraph toward Fort Donelson was MANY
miles OFF from the battlefield. Besides
the absurdity of General directing the
movements of battle a thousand miles
off, even if he had fifty telegraph wires.
ieadlng to every part of the field, was
apparent Nevertheless, McClellan's
supporters kept up their claim. On Feb
ruary 10Th, the Associated Press agent
at Washington, in reporting a meeting
OF a railroad convention at which Mr..
! stanton had spoken, said:
Secretary Stanton in the course of
| his address, paid a high compliment TO
the young and gallant friend at his side,
MaJor-General Mcclellan, in whom he
suits of whose military schemes. ei-
gantic and well-matured, were now ex-
hhbited to rejoicing country. The Sec
retary with upraised hands, implored
Almighty God to aid them and himself
and all occupying positions under the
| Government in crushing out this unholy
rebellion
i did not believe Stanton had done
/ Si1rh thiy7u r 81,
to him"
Mr. Stanton's reply declared that the
statement was absurd. When, then, Mr..
Dana left The Tribune" he was by no
means unknown either to the Presi-
/ dent or the Secretary of War Then
| came a letter from Mr. Stanton asking
Mr.. Dana to go into the service of the
War Department, the business being to
/ audit unsettled claims against the
! Quartermaster' Department at Cairo
ILL.," Mr.. Dana accepted the position at
! once, and, according to instructions.
was to be at his post about the middle of
June, 1862. His first meeting with Cen
eral Grant is thus described:
'All the leisure 1 had at Cairo I spent
in horseback riding up and down the
river banks and in visiting the adjacent
military posts. My longest and most in
teresting trip was on the Fourth Of July
when I went down the Mississippi to at
/ tend big celebration at Memphis. /
remember it particularly because it was
| there that / first met General Grant
The officers stationed in the city gave
dinner that day to which / was invited
| At the table l sat between Grant
and Major John A. Rawlins, of his staff
! l remember distinctly the pleasant i'm
I preston Grant made-that of man of
simple manners, straightforward cor
dial and unpretending. He had already
! fought the successful battles of Fort
Donelson and Shiloh, and when / met
him was a Major-General in command
Of the district of West Tennessee. De-
! partment of Missouri. under Halleck,
| with headquarters at Memphis. AL
though one would not have suspected it
from his manners, he was really under a
cloud at the time because of the opera
tions at Shiloh. Those who did not like
him had accused him Of having been
taken by surprise there, and had de-
clared that he would have been beaten If
Buell. had not come up. I often talked
later with Grants staff officers about
Shiloh. and they always affirmed that
he would have been successful if
Buell. had not come to his relief. / be-
lieve Grant himself thought So although
he never in any one of the many talks /
afterward had with him about the battle
said so directly"
Mr.. Dana, having finished his audit