Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-04-02

LINCOLN ana His Generals.


Run had sent a frightened huddle of
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 conversa-
| ton, calling on me to save the nation,
alluding to the presidency dictatorship.
| etc. As | hope one day to be united
! with you forever in heaven, l have no
| such aspiration. | would cheerfully
/ take the dictatorship and agree to lay
/ down my life when the country is
saved l am not spoiled In my unex-
/ pected new position" On another oc-
casion he remarked: My relations
with Mr. Lincoln were generally very
! pleasant and seldom had trouble with
him when we could meet face to face.
! / believe that he liked me personally.
and certainly he was always much in
! tiuenced by me when we were togeth-
! 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 tae
! government should send him reinforce
ments for decisive assault upon Rich
mOnd. IF | save this army now" he
said in a dispatch to the Secretary IF
War, IL tell You plainly that / owe
no thanks to you or TO any persons in
Washington; you have done your best
TO sacrifice this army"
Lincon's answer of June Is illus
| trates his sympathetic readiness to take
! the other mans point of view: Save
! your army at all events viii send re-
! Inducements as fast as we can. 3
! l feel my misfortune to you and yorr
army as keenly as you feel 1t your
! self y"
On the 9th of November Mcclellan
was relieved Of the command of the
Army of the Potomac and Burnside
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 his
! place.
Lincoln wrote TO Hooker: II have
placed you at the head Of the Army #
the Potomac OF course ! have done
this upon what appears to me sufficient
reasons, and yet think 1t best for you
! TO know that there are some things
| in regard to which | am not quite
satisfied with You.
Il believe you 10 be 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 lndispen-
sable, quality. You are ambitious.
| which, within reasonable bounds, docs
| good rather than harm. But / think
| that during General Burnsde's com
| mand Of the army you have taken Coua-
sci OF your ambition solely and
! thwarted him as much as you could. n
| which you did a great wrong to the
country and to a most meritOrious and
| honorable brother officer | have heard
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 / will risk the dictatorship. The
| government will support you to the ut
most Of its ability. which Is neither
more nor less than II has done and viii
do for all Its commanders And now,
beware Of rashness, but with energy
and sleepIess vigilance 20 forward and
| give us victories
The disastrous defeat Of Chancellors-
vile was due TO HOoker's failure to uge
all his men, an error Of Judgment
against which Lincoln had warned him.
When Hooker wanted 10 attack he
Confederate rear at fredericksburg
| Lincoln dIssuade him IN graphic
| slmiIc: In one word would not take
| any risk of being entanGIed upon the
! river, like an OK jumped half over a
| fence and liable 10 be torn By dogs
| front and rear without a fair chance
/ 10 gore one away or kick the other"
! And he likewise vetoed the plan OF ad
/ yancing on Richmond at this junCturc
II