The National tribune., 1908-07-30
WHAT MCCLELLAN NIGHT HAVE
DONE.
The View Taken by Man Who Was In
1t From First to Last.

Editor National Tribune: I am an
old soldier that served in the Army of
the Potomac under Mcclellan, Burn
side, Meade and Grant, and / read in
| The National Tribune of Jan. 80 q
communication from Col. Everard
Bieres, 171st Pa. The Colonel criti-
cizes Comrade McElroy's statements
with reference to Gen. Mcclellan and
his ability as compared to Grants.
Now, 1 am not going to say one word
| against Mcclellan as a man and a
| kind-hearted officer. No General that
ever commanded the Army of the Po-
| tomac was thought more of than he.
The army would flock to the roadside
to cheer him as he rode by, but as to
his ability on the firing line there is, in
my opinion, no comparison between
| him and Grant. l therefore fully in
dorse what Comrade McElroy has said
on that subject Col. Bieres no doubt
served with Mcclellan on the PENN
sula, as he says. 1 do notice, however,
that the list Pa. was not organized
until October, 1862. The regiment of
course, could not have been on the
Peninsula with Mcclellan. Now don't
understand me to intimate that the
Colonel was not with Mcclellan on the
Peninsula, for he could have been there
with some other command.
Admitting that he was there, / would
| like to have him review, with me, our
movements from Yorktown to Malvern
HILL. and compare, McClellan's tactics
with Grants tactics, after he took COM
mand of the Potomac Army. Would
Grant have set down in front of York
town with 125.000 as fine soldiers as
ever faced an enemy, and go to throw
ing up breastworks, building forts and
digging trenches, and continue it for
more than month, when there was
but handful of the enemy in front of
him? My opinion is that he would
not have camped there 4S hours. My
| Judgment is IL he could not have gone
thru Magruder he would have gone
around him onto Richmond. He would
have had the enemy moving to the
rear so fast they would have been
falling over themselves.
They would not have had time to
form a line of battle at Williamsburg.
Fort Magruder would have been evacu-
ated when they saw the mighty hosts
check. at Yorktown suntR Richmond
had been. strongly fortified and re-
inforccd. When ourt army, after sew
eraI days of riding thru the mud, had
pitched their tents on the Chickahomi-
ny, Richmond had been put in a good
shape for defense, and There we re-
manned for five weeks, : waiting for
otOneWail JdckSOHr 70 Guy MS Way out
of the Valley in order TO get down there
to help Lee send us on our seven days
retreat down the Peninsula. 1 hap
pened to belong to the Fifth Corps, and
know what I am talking about when
say that Stonewall Jackson sent US
flying down the track. The Fifth
Corps lost more men killed. wounded
and missing at Gaines's Mill, June 81.
1862, than all the rest of the Army of
. T1cfc ~ fn al
Hill ffiisft, ,,Sy, !, ,.,e>
/ am not going to dwell on what
might have been done after the battles
of Fair. Oaks and ,Gaines's Mill My
opinion * That II we had had Grant
inszeomRnand,s lie would have captured
Richmond long before the battle of
Fair OAKS was fought. Had he not
have i. DONE SO them he certainly
would at the time of that battle, and
am of tie opinion the army south of
the Chickahominy could have captured
Richmond while the Fifth Corps was
fighting Lee and Jackson north OF the
river. If, however,; we had put off
the capture of Richmond until after
the battle of Malvern Hill (where we
repulsed the enemy, and the COM
mander had been a man with head
quarters in the saddle and at the
front, instead of having his fleadquar
tiers on a gunboat in the James River,
we could have captured the city. Put
am dwelling too long on this subject.
will simply mention Antietam and
close,
McClellans action after our victory
at Antietam, with an army corps of
fresh troops in reserve, is beyond my
comprehension. Will some one en-
tighten me on that subject?-A. ".
Cole, 4th Mich, Past Department
Commander, G. A. r., Hastings, Neb.