Year: 1864

A RETROSPECT To BE REMEMBERED


The old North American always speaks
with candor and by the book touching the
past A late number presents the following
retrospect, that all loyal citizens of the North
in forming their judgment OF Presidential
candidates will do well to bear in mind:


A Democratic newspaper ingeniOusly en-
deavors 10 prove that the Administration has
perverted the war from its original purpose,
BY citing the Crittenden resolutions passed by
Congress. The resolution was passed when
the Administration aud the Republican ma
jority in Congress were acting up to is spirit
in good faith, and meant to continue 10 do So
But 10 an evil hour for the fortunes OF the
Republic, General Mcclellan was given the
post of commander chief which virtually
made him The autocrat OF the time. No gem
eral-in-chief, either before or since, ever ruled
more despotically than he did. during the time
he remaiaed in Washington. There seemed
to the apprehension of millions of citizens. to
have ceased to be any civil government. Nc
| Clellan absorbed all the actual home power,
and the President and Cabinet appeared 20 be
treated as mere head clerks. Instead of the
General waiting upon the President, who was
| The constitutional ommander-in-chief, and
consulting with him, the President was oblg
ed to abandon the diguity of his high office,
and visit the General at his quarters, to salts
| " his uneasiness, and even then was often kept
waiting tediously or refused an audience.
His naughty and supercilliouE demeanor
did not arise from the pressure of business, for
it is known to have been deliberately practised
when the General was not busy at all. Dur
/ ing all this time the newspaper organs of the
General we're actually engaged in ridicniing
every aci of the President, and doing their ut
most to bring him into public odium. This
strange policy arose from the fact that the
General was known to be an ultra pro-slavery
Democrat, had thrown himself toto the arms
of politicians Of that stamp, and Instead Of
devoting his energies to the prosecution Of the
war, was involved in political schemes to OBJ
tain power. The whole atmosphere was filled
with rumors OF some intended revolution
which would place Mcclellan in ofiee as die.
tater, and so great and general was the fear of
this, that when at length the new Secretary
OF War conrageousIy ordered Mcclellan a way
| from Washington, and directed him to take
command in the field and march against the
enemy, universal sense of relief from heavy
burden scented to pefvade the public mind
1t will be remembered that President Lin
coln issued an order directing all the armies in
the field, east and west, to commence opera
tions simultaneously en- the 22d OF February
All obeyed this order except Mcclellan, and
all achieved brilliant successes except him.
Little Macs affections eluDg around Washing
ton. He had been seven long tedious months
getting ready, and still he was not ready
enough to begin when ordered, although he
had an army much larger than any OF our
others in the field, and double that of Lee
He had steadily opposed active operations as
long as he was commander-in-chief. He op-
posed all the successful operations along the
coast from first to last, Notwithstanding that
be knew the blockade could not be perfected
without them. When Halleck commenced
promptly, according to orders, his glorious
campaign in the West, Mcclellan treated It
as premature, and all his organs reiterated the
ridiculous assertion.


While he was reignug in Washington,
and had swallowed up ali actual power, he
managed to keep the war sisgnsnt and to al
low Democratic politicians to pervert il en-
iirely to their own purposes. He filed the
high commands Of the army with men of his
own stamp, aud go far from making any pro-
gress toward crushing out the rebellion, we
were daily losing ground Under him the
Democratic politicians managed to have full
sway, aud if their policy was good for any
thing, they had army of seven hundred
Thousand men and their owa generals to car
ry it out. But as their policy was empty and
ridiculous, the result was a terrible failure,
Sufficient in the summer OF 1862 to plunge the
whole nation into the deepest gloom and de-
spondency.


Who, then, eau wonder that the Admins
tratiOa grew weary Of this sickly conserva-
tism which sought 10 wage war on peace prin-
cipes with foe more brutal aud inhuman
than any known to the civilized world. Con-
servatism had its chance. 1t failed terribly
and Mcclellan was it's representative who led
as into that disaster. Since we gave up that
wretched palterng with slavery any rebellion,
and took the square, honest, and manly ground
of crushing cut the revolt and the cause of all
our troubles with it, God has prospered our
arms beyond all precedent The Democrats


would have US go back to the reign of con-
servatisn and incon potency. 1t would have
US restore Mcclellan, Buell., Fitz Jehn Porter


and all that swarm Of great men unApprsciat
ed whom We have got rid Of. These who think
these men better than Grant, Sherman, Rose
Grams, Sheridan, Foster and Candy, may Wisf
for such change, but we do not.