The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-02-12
Wa MocIaIIan : Traltor9


was Lincoln's secretary. Writing in
1864, he reoounts a story told him by
Lincoln which reveals Mcclellan in a
new light.
"On September Is, 1854, Hay re-
cords that a letter had just come from
I Nfcolay, who was in New York, stating
that Thurlow Weed, the dominant Re
publican leader in New York State,
with whom Nicolay was to confer, had
gone to Conada. When Hay showed
the President the letter he said:
| think | know where MIR. Weed has
gone. think he has gone to Vermont,
not Canada. l viii tell you what he
| is trying to do. / have not as yet told
anybody
sand then Lincoln proceeded to I'M
fold the following story of remark
able intrigue:
".Some time ago the Governor OF
Vermont came to me on business OF
Importance he said. l fixed an hour
! and he came. His name is Smith. He
| is, though you would not think 1t,
cousin of Badly Smith. Badly is large,
blond. florid The Governor is little,
dark sort of man. This is the story
he told me, giving General Badly
Smith as his authority:
"'When Gen. Mcclellan was here at
Washington Tin 1862 B. Smith was
very intimate with him. They had
been together at West Point and
! friends. Mcclellan had asked for pro-
motion for Badly from the President
and got it. They were close and con-
fldential friends. When they went
down to the Peninsula their same init
mate relations continued, the General
talking freely with Smith about all his
plans and prospects, until one day
Fernando Wood and one other Demo
| cratic) politician from New York APP
peared in camp and passed some days
with Mcclellan.
"From the day this took place
! Smith saw, or thought he saw, that
Mcclellan was treating him with I'M
usual coolnes sand reserve. After q
little while ne mentioned this to Nc
| Clellan, who, after some talk, told
Badly he had something to show him.
He told him that these people who
had recently visited him had been urg-
! ing him to stand as an opposition cam
didate for President; that he had
thought the thing over and had con-
cluded to accept their proposition, and
had written them a letter (Which he
had not yet sent) giving his idea of
the proper way Of conducting the war,
80 as to conciliate and impress the
people of the South with the idea that
our armies were intended merely to
execute the laws and protect their
property, etc, and pledging himself to
conduct the war in that inefficient,
conciliatory style.
""This letter he read to Badly, who,
after the reading, was finished, said
earnestly: General, do you not see
| that looks like treason, and that it will
ruin YOU and all of us?" After some
further talk the General destroyed the
letter in Baldy's presence, and thanked
him heartily for his frank and friendly
counsel. After this he was again TAX
! en- into the intimate confidence OF NC
! Clellan.
Immediately after the battle OF
| Antietam, Wood and his familiar came
again and saw the General and again
Badly saw an immediate estrangement
on the part of Mcclellan. He seemed
to be anxious to get his intimate
friends out Of the way and to avoid
opportunities Of private conversation
with them. Badly he particularly kept
employed on reconnaissance and such
work. One night Smith was return
ing from some duty he had been per-
forming, and, seeing light In McClel-
! lan's tent he went in to report. he
reported and was about to withdraw
when the General requested him to
| remain. After every one was gone he
told him those men had been there
again and had renewed their PROPOSE
ton about the Presidency; that this
time he had agreed to their proposition
and had written them letter aeceding
( TO their terms and pledging himself TO
carry on the war in the sense already
| indicated. This letter he read then
and there to Badly Smith.
"-Tmnediately thereafter B. Smith
applied to be transferred from that
army. At very nearly the same time
| other prominent men asked the same
Franklin, Burnside and others
"sNow that letter must be in the
possession of F. Wood, and it will not
be impossible to get 1t. Mr.. Weed has,
/ think, gone to Vermont to see the
/ Smiths about it,
Ebay continues:
"T was very much surprised at the
story and expressed my surprise. !
said / had always thought that Nc
Clellan's fault was constitutional
weakness and timidity, which pre-
vented him from active and timely
exertion,. instead of any such deep-laid
scheme Of treachery and ambition
""The President replied; after the
battle of Antietam l went up to the
i field to try to get him to move, and
came back thinking he would move at
once But when got home he began
to argue why he ought not to move.
! / peremptorily ordered him to advance.