The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-03-07
great success.

ccuSuIeu pJ 1hS ''eho'o W
as responsible for McClellan's failure
in his Peninsula campaign, and most
of them yet believe that Lincoln did
not give faithful support to McClel,
Ian in his military movements. This
imputation upon Lincoln I know to be
unwarrantcd. l many times heard
him discuss Mcclellan, and l am sure
that Mcclellan himself was not more
anxious for success in his Richmond
campaign than was Lincoln. He had
become impatient with Mcclellan be-
cause of his failure to move upon
Manassas in the late fall of 1861, when
the roads were exceptionally fine, and
he finally reluctantly yielded to Nc
Clellan's plan of attacking Richmond
by the Peninsula.
Public and political pressure against
McClellan had become very strong, and
majority of the Cabinet officers had
lost all confidence in him as CON-
mander and desired his removal, but
Lincoln refused to entertain the ques-
tion. He yielded to the opposition to
McC Clellan on the llth of March, 1862,
to the extent of practically removing
| Mcclellan as commander-in chief and
limiting his command to the Army OF
the Potomac. AS Mcclellan was in
the field, he had little opportunity to
study military conditions in other de-
partments, which furnished a plausible
excuse for limiting his authority, but
l speak advisedly when l say that
Lincoln most sincerely hoped that
Mcclellan would make a successful
campaign, capture Richmond, and thus
prove his just claim to be restored as
commander in chief.
Had bis campaign been successful
Lincoln would surely have restored
Mcclellan He did not fill the posi-
tion until exactly four months after
Mcclellan had been removed from it,
and then he did it under great prove
cation. Lincoln visited Mcclellan at
his headquarters on the James after
the Seven Days battle, and week or
more alter Mcclellan. in communica-
tion to Secretary Stanton, said: IF /
save this army now tell you plainly
that ! owe no thanks to you or to any
other person in Washington. You
have done your best to sacrifice this
army" Any other President than
Lincoln would have dismissed general
who thus accused the President and
the Secretary of War, but Lincoln
never yielded to resentment. When
he visited Mcclellan on the James,
Mcclellan handed him an elaborate
letter severely criticising both the
military and the political policy of the
administration. This letter was de-
lived to the Presinent in person BY
McC Clellan, and the President read it.,
placed it in his pocket, and made no
reference to it whatever; but four
days thereafter, when the position had
been vacant for precisely four months,
Lincoln appointed Halleck as CON-
mander in-chief.
When the armies of Pope and Nc
Clellan were driven into The intrench-
ments at Washington after the second
battle of Bull Run, Lincoln we'll un-
derstood that Mcclellan was the most
accomplished defensive general in the
army, and in disregard Of the views of
every member of his Cabinet he per-
sonally, visited Mcclellan at his home
and asked him to take command of the
defenses at Washington, which placed
Mcclellan again in command Of the
army. That was just an occasion for
McC best qualities to be exhib-
tied to the best advantage. His restora.
tion to command speedily brought Or
der out of chaos in the army, and
Washington was safe from the hour
that he was in charge of its defense.
When Lee crossed into Maryland Nc
Clellan waited for orders, but received
none. Lincoln issued no orders, for
the reason that he preferred that Nc
Clellan should follow Lee without any
special orders from the government,
and Mcclellan did so.
After the battle of Antietam Lincoln
was again very much discouraged by
| McClellans failure to advance into
Virginia, and the many letters lie wrote
to him which have been given to the
public show how sincerely desirous he
was to aid Mcclellan to victory.
l. ncoln finally reached the point where
he believed it necessary to relieve Nc
Clellan # command, and he did it only
after long hesitation and earnest ap-
peals, pointing out strategic move
ments which should be accepted with
the distinctness of a thoroughly trained
military officer, and McClcllan's mill
tary career ended on the 5th of Novem-
Der, 1862, when he was ordered to re-
port at Trenton for further orders, and
was never again recalled to command.
In the spring of 1863 Hooker suf:
fered a most humiliating defeat a.
Charlottesville, and the Army Of the
Potomac had little to inspire it with
hope of victory. 1t had been defeated
on the Peninsula; it had been defeated