The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-04-08

Lincoln and His Generals.

Union soldiers back to Washington.
Mcclellan had fought and won bat
ties in West Virginia, and the people
In Washington, looking for a leader to
replace the grave, superannuated, ego
tistical General Scott, selected Nc
Clellan. Two years after his arrival
In Washington, in letter to his wife,
he said: Il receive letter after let
ter, have conversation after CONVERSE
ton, calling on me to save the nation,
alluding to the presidency, dictatorship.
etc. As l hope one day to be united
with you forever in heaven, have DO
such aspiration. 1 would cheerfully
take the dictatorship and agree to lay
down my life when the country is
saved. | am not spoiled in my unex-
pected new position On another oc-
ca.sion he remarked: "My relations
with Mr.. Lincoln were generally very
pleasant and l seldom had trouble with
him when we could meet face to face.
l believe that he liked me personally,
and certainly he was always much in
err"
There is no denying the fact that
he gave the raw, undisciplined troops
exactly the sort of setting-up exercises
and battalion drill they needed When
the Army of the Potomac. which was
his creature, came under the command
of Grant, the war could have but one
conclusion. There was justification
for the statement of General
Meade: Had there been no
Mcclellan there could have been no
Grant, for the army made no essential
improvement under any of his sue
cessors''
Mcclellan repeatedly urged that tle
government should send him reinforce
ments for decisive assault upOn Rich
mond. IF l save this army now" he
said in a dispatch TO the Secretary of
War 81 tell you plainly that l owe
no thanks to you or to any persons i'll
Washington you have done your best
TO sacrifice this army
LincOln's answer of June IS Illus
trates his sympathetic readiness to take
the other mans point Of view: "Saye
your army at all events. VIII send re-
Inducements as fast as we can.
l feel my misfortune to you and yo'-r
army as keenly as you feel it your
self. 49,
On the 9Th of November Mcclellan
was relieved of the command of the
Army of the Potomac and Burns de
was put in his place.
On the oath of February. after the
Fredericksburg fiasco, Burnside was
removed from chief command and
Fighting Joe" Hooker put in bis
place.
Lincoln wrote TO Hooker: II have
placed you at the head Of the Army If
the Potomac. OF course l have done
this upon what appears to me sufficient
reasons. and yet think it best for you
to know that there are some things
in regard to which l am not quite
satisfied with you.
Il believe you to be a brave and
skilful soldier, which. of course. | like.
l also believe you do not mix politics
with your profession, in which you are
right. You have confidence in yourself,
which is a valuable if not indispen-
sable, quality. You are ambitious.
which. within reasonable bounds, does
good rather than harm. But 1 think
that during General Burnside's COM
mand of the army you have taken coun-
sci of your ambition solely and
thwarted him as much as you could. IN
which you did a great wrong 10 the
country and TO a most meritorious and
honorable brother officer. | have heaIG.
In such a way as to believe it. of
your saying that both the country and
the army needed a dictator. or course
it was not for this, but in spite of t.
that | have given you the command.
Only those generals who gain success
can set themselves up as dictators.
What | ask of you is military success.
and l will risk the dictatorship. Tue
government will support you to the ut
most of its ability. which is neither
more nor less than it has done and will
do for all its commanders. And now.
beware Of rashness, but with energy
and sleepless vigilance go forward and
give us victories"
The disastrous defeat of ChanceIlors-
vile was due to Hookers failure to use
all his men, an error OF Judgment
against which Lincoln had warned him.
When Hooker wanted to attack The
Confederate rear at Fredericksburg
Lincoln dissuade him in a graphic
simile: "In one word, would not take
any risk Of being entangled upon the
river, like an OK jumped half over
fence and liable to be torn by dogs
front and rear without a fair chance
to gore one away or kick the other.
And he likewise vetoed the plan of al
vancing on Richmond at this iunoture.
reminding Hooker that Lees army.
end not Richmond, is your true objec-
tive point. Fight him, too.
when opportunity offers. If he stays
where he is, fret him and fret him.
Lincoln, by a kind of intuition.
OWNED the right thing to do. He had
no real military experience. When he
was made captain of the Sangamon
County company in the Black Hawk
War, he did not know how to get his
men (marching twenty abreast)
through a gate. and he shouted This
company is dismissed for two minutes.
when it will fall in again on the Other
side of the gate"
In June, 1863, Geenral Meade, !
Pennsylvania, took Hooker's pace.
Lincoln was not satisfied after Gettys-
burg, because Meade spoke Of driving
the invaders from our SOIL" and in
Lincoln's view the victory should have
been followed up aggressively.
Coincidentally with Gettysburg
Grant, in the West, took Vicksburg,
and from that time Lincoln had the
L. L..