The Redwood gazette., 1911-09-12

IcfcSTdm lTOu OtueT Sue duuOuucluS
enemy advancing in force. Started off
aids and put the wires at work. When
fairly started alarm proved false.
Friend Beauregard has allowed the
chance to escape him. l have now
some $1,000 effective men: will have
$4,000 by end of week. Last week he
certainly had double our force. | feel
sure that the dangerous moment has
passed"
The troops ordered by the president
from New England. New York and
the other states had now begun to ar
rive by almost every train. They were
raw for the most part, but with the
efficient discipline in force they were
soon put in condition. The north at
last had an army
General Mcclellan was not the only
one who was engaged in improving the
morale and efficiency Of the Union
troops. President Lincoln in his quiet
way was encouraging and inspiriting
the army. Almost every day he drove
to some Of the camps. The private SOL
the men stationed in and about Wash
ington at this time recall some kindly
word or deed from the tall. big heart
| ed president. whom even then the sol
| ders were learning to love as a father.
| General William T. Sherman, who
der Mcclellan. recalls that one day
Mr.. Lincoln drove about the camp and
made one of the neatest and happiest
! little speeches to the men that he
| (Sherman) had ever heard. He regret
ted afterward that this talk had not
been preserved. 1t was Lfncoln's habit
to greet the men in the ranks and
| shake hands with them. making scme
humorous. kindly or admonitOry re
mark to each. Perhaps it was only
fervent God bless you!" but it lin
| gered in the soldiers mind in the long
marches and fierce fighting that fol
lowed.
Throughout the terrible weeks fol
lowing Bull Run Lincoln remained ex-
ternally calm and serene. Despite his
burden of undivided responsibility,
greater than that of Washington"
| his faith in the final outcome seemed
never disturbed. 1t was almost as
though in the deep and mystical ma
| ture of the man he had comfort and
assurances that others never knew.
Lincoln Visits Virginia Camps.
On Aug. q Lincoln and three mem
bers of his cabinet, Seward. Chase
and Cameron, accompanied by Gen
eral Mcclellan. visited all the camps
At this time the relations between the
president and General Mcclellan were
cordial. and in his "Own Story" Nc
Clellan wrote. referring to later
period, my relations with Mr.. Lincoln
were generally very pleasant, and |
seldom had trouble with him when we
could meet face to face" So far as
l can discover, this is about the only
good word General Mcclellan ever had
to say Of any of his superiors Scott,
Stanton and Halleck he scored un-
mercifully. But. outside Of Scott, all
this came later possibly for the reason
| that Stanton had not yet become sec
retary of war and Halleck had not yet
been placed in chief command of the
army.
/ Second to Mcclellan, perhaps the
most popular major general appointed
by Lincoln up to this time was John
1 C. Fremont, the Pathfinder across
the Rockies and the first Republican
candidate for president. Yet COM
plants against Fremont had begun al
most as soon as he took command at
st. Louis. One of the most serious
charges against him was that he had
refused to REINFORCE Lyon and had
| therefore been the indirect cause of
the death of that brave and capable
i general Other criticisms were that
he overre&ched his authority. that he
was personally inaccessible, that he
was impractical and showed lack
of military experience and capacity.
On Aug. so Fremonts acts raised a
i much more serious question. That
was the date of his famous pruclama
ton declaring the entire state of Mis-
souri, under martial law, fixing pen
alties Of those in rebellion against the