The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-03-02

ilOWONOiS bhOho
GEN. LEW WALLACE. is still in the
walks of life great number of men
who will be prompt to say that General
Wallace is mistaken or that he has
been incorrectly reported relative to the
sensational story.
There was no time while the Army of
the Potomac was ON the peninsula in
1862 when it did not largely outnumber
the army of northern Virginia, with
eral Wallace credits Lincoln with say
ing that he was going to Harrison's
Landing to prevent Mcclellan from sur
rendering the battle of Malvern Hill
had been fought, resulting in singing,
staggering blow to General Lee, and
the Army of the Potomac was as safely
quartered as if it had been behind the
Notifications Mcclellan had built about
Washington.
Look at the records in the war depart
ment. No sign of surrender is found.
Quite the contrary. July A General Nc
] Clellan telegraphed the president from
! Harr ison's Bar as follows:
"The last of the wagons reached here
at noon yesterday. The exhaustion was
very great, but the army preserved its
morale and would have repealed any
attack which the enemy was in position
( to make. Our position can only be taken
by overwhelming numbers. The spirit
of the army is excellent. There are
points where the enemy can establish
himself with cannon or musketry and
command the river, and where it is not
certain that our gunboats can drive him
| off. In case of this or in case our front
| is broken / will make every effort to
preserve at least the personnel OF the
army, and the events of the last few
days leave no question that the troops
will do all that their commander can
ask"
So Mcclellan talked when the presi-
dent is credited with a belief that it
was necessary for him to interpose to
| prevent surrender. July 2, after the
army had reached Harrison Landing,
where it remained six weeks, General
| Mcclellan said, in a telegram to the
president:
"The enemy has not attacked. My
position is very strong and daily becom-
ing more so. If not attacked today,
shall laugh at them. My men are in
splendid spirits and anxious to try it
again. Alarm yourself as little as posi-
BILE about me and don't lose confidence
in the army"
Does that sound like the talk Of q
man who is contemplating the surrender
of his army? On the 18th he again ad,
dressed the president, saying:
"We are very strong here now, SO faI
as the defensive is concerned. Hope you
will soon make us strong enough to try
again." No appearance of disposition
to surrender in that
The next day Little Mac" sent this
to Washington:
"The men are resting well, but be-
ginning to be impatient for another
hight I am more and more concerned
that this army ought not to be with
drawn from here, but promptly re-en
forced and thrown again upon Rich
mond. If we have little more thar
half chance, we can take II"
Let me quote more from Mcclellan
this time from the letters written hi
wife. July 8, 1862, after President Lin
coin had visited him at Harrison
Landing, on the James river, Mcclellan
said to his wife:
ellis excellency was here yesterday
and left this morning. He found TIT
army anything but demoralized or dis
pirited. 1t is in excellent spirits.
On July 10 he said: 1.-THE probabilit,
is that / will attack again very soon
as soon as some losses are supplied.
fiatter myself that this army is a create
, thorn in the side of the rebellion thar
ever, and / most certainly with God
blessing) intend to take Richmond will
it,"
Among the war records there are ais
, various letters and dispatches from Pres
a ident Lincoln to General Mcclellan
a while the latter was on the peninsula
Z indicating that the president was fear
full that the Army of the Potoma
would be destroyed. On several occa
sions in these dispatches or letters b.
( appealed to Mcclellan to save the army
q but no word from Mcclellan to tn
0 president or the secretary of war or t
: his wife has ever been found indicating
r that for an instant he entertained tn
Q thought that the Army of the Potoma
. would be destroyed or that 1t would b
necessary for him to surrender it.
II seems almost monstrous to hin
that 100. 900 men and such generals .
: Sumner, Hooker, Kearny, Hancock
o Sedgwick and others could be drive
!. into surrendering to an army of co.,
they had just defeated at Malvern Hill
Surely General Wallace has made
mistake-a grisvous mistake The stor
10 absurd
M. Lincoln was ~ times very iron
ioal. When . delegation appealed