Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-13
MADE LINCOLN WAIT
Gen. Mcclellan Did Not Hurry
to See Distinguished Caller.
INCIDENT OF THE t CIVIL WAR
Great President Sat in Parlor While
Army Officer Finished Breakfast.
PUT IN DEFENSE OF CITY
After Practically Being Retired
From Active Service, Mcclellan
Finally Triumphs.
INCIDENT OF THE CIVIL WAR
PUT IN DEFENSE OF CITY

civil war and noting the constant clash
of policies and politics. of opinions and
ambitions. which marked it's course one
is sometimes tempted to wonder, not so
much that it was brought to a close in
four years. as that it ever ended at ali
in victory for the Union. President
Lincoln, who stood at the focal point
where all the lines crossed, must have
suffered terrible tax not only on his
patriotism and his patience, but on his
diplomatic resourcefulness as Well AS
we commonly have him represented to
triumphant, overcomer of obstacles. But
the war era bore for him also its crop
of humiliations: and one of the most
serious of these occurred in the fall of
1862, when, in order to assure the safety
of the National Capital, he had to bow
his head to a military man whom he had
practically retired from active service
because of their disagreements.
All through the earlier part of the
year, the President. Secretary Stanton
and Gems Halleck and Mcclellan had
Kept up tire OF misSires of remon-
STRANGE and rebuke. Back of the admin
1stration was a press eager for thrilling
news and a public which knew as little
of war; for the most part as of the
dlfferential calculus. and whose one idea
of an army was a body of men equipped
with weapons of various sorts, who could
march and fight without food or sleep,
II need be. for an indefinite period. Many
enthusiastic patriots were sure that the
war had already lasted twice as long as
was necessary. Under goading from these
sources. the President and Secretary of
War. however well they might under
stand the reasons for McClellans de-
liberateness, felt themselves forced to
urge him on. lest the support of the peO-
pie of the north who were recruiting the
volunteer regiments, and OF the men of
means who were financing the govern
ments opera tons, should weaken
through lack of confidence.
Mcclellan kept insisting on more troops
and more time to get them ready for eff
fective action. But the camor was SO
great that the President on at least one
occasion, after converting a council of
war and finding that twelve of the twen-
ty officers composing it agreed with Nc
Clellan. threw overheard their decision
and issued peremptory orders himself in
defiance thereof. Sometimes the CORE
Spondence between Washington and the
field became positively acrimonious. as
where. after describing the slaughter at
Gaines Mill, Mcclellan telegraphed Stan
ton:
Had 10000 or even 10000 fresh
troops to use tomorrow l could take
Richmond. | have lost the battle be-
cause my force was too small. l
am not responsible for this. If ] save
the army tell you plainly that I owe no
thanks to you or to any other persons
in Washington. You have done your best
to sacrifice the army. Or where Hal
leck, after attempting to direct from
Washington the movements of McClel-
lan'S subordinateS in northeastern Nir
ginia, wound up a dispatch in this style:
Our people must move more actively
and find out where the enemy is. l am
tired of guessing
The Defense of Washington.
Meanwhile Pope had been assigned to
command all the troops gathered for the
defense of Washington. which had been
made into what was known as the Army
of Virginia. With the end of August
came also the end Of his brief campaign
which he had begun with proclamation
declaring the war to have been conduct
ed on too lenient lines. and announcing
that he should change all that. These
utterances were interpreted as a severe
reflection on Mcclellan. and the friends
of the latter attributed them to political
jealousy With the disastrous rout at
the second battle of Bull run Pope's
pride was badly broken. and his army
moved rapidly northward. The eNultant
Confederates prepared to threaten wash
ington on the west with small force.
while the main body or their army was
to move up. under cover of this feint,
into Maryland and Pennsylvania. cap
ture Philadelphia and Baltimore and de-
scend upon Washington.
Mcclellan, who had been stripped Of all
except the outward insignia OF his once
high military Importance. had come on
to Washington and was staying in the
big brick and broWnstone house which
used to stand on the present site or the
Shoreham Hotel, at the corner OF loth
and IF streets There his staff had been
directed to report to him on the morn
ing of september , They arrived while
the general was still at breakfast. Among
them was John NJ Wilson. now briga-
der general retired: at that time he was
a youth of twenty-four. lieutenant i'm
the corps of Typographical engineers at
tached to McClellan's staff.
The officers were ushered into the room
on the left of the entrance hall. opposite
the parlor. and there awaited the coming
of their chief Lieut.. Wilson amused
himself By looking out of the window.
which commanded view of II street for
a block in either direction Pres
emily he announced to his colleagues that
ne had seen President Lincoln and Gen.
Halleck general-in-chief of the armies
of the United States. walking up what is
now Madison place. evidently their
way from the White House to the Ar
lington Hotel 1t was an unusual hour
for dignitdrleS ike these TO De ABROAD
for any purpose but one of emergency.
and their errand excited some curiosity
among the assembled group Another
glance from the window showed that,
instead of crossing to the Arlington, they
had turned down the north side of
street and were approaching. and a mo-
ment later they had assembled the steps
of the Mcclellan house and rang the bell.
Mcclellan in No Hurry.
Every one in the room was so silent
that, with the door into the hall standing
ajar. the officers could hear the Presi-
dents inquiry for Gen. Mcclellan. and
the buffers response as he bowed the
callers into the parlor opposite and re-
| turned to the breakfast room to announce
| them to his master. Wilson expected that
| the general would drop everything and
hurry u Welcome diStin glitSheG a