Year: 1862

From the Chicago Times


Mcclellan was sent to take Richmond, the
rebel capita and stronghold, the possession of
which by the Union army would practically
close the rebellion. From the time he landed
upon the Peninsula he has had opposed to him q
superior force, which was at length swollen to
nearly double his own in effective men-his
own effective strength when he abandoned, last
week, his base of operations on the York river,
not exceeding ninety thousand, while that OF the
enemy, 1t is believed, reached one hundred and
fifty thousand, who, behind their intrenchments
should be equal to an attacking army Of three
hundred thousand.


If disaster has overtaken McClellan-and as
we write the intelligence wears that aspect--a
fearful responsibility for it rests somewhere.
Or, if not disaster, but only terrible loss Of life
has been suffered, still fearful responsibility
rests somewhere. The government at Wash
ington has not been stinted as to men Had it
not, on three several occasions since the begin
ming of the war, interrupted the flow of Yolun-
teers to its armies, those armies might have
numbered to-day million of men. And it has
clearly been the true policy of the government
from the beginning to confront the rebellion, at
ali points, with overwhelming numbers. This
wes the way to discourage the rebels at the out
set aud at every stage of the war, and to make
the war short and cheap. Wherever the rebellion
has been thus confronted, or confronted by an
equal force, it has been defeated and discouraged.
It has been where it has been confronted by in
teTiOr forces that it has won successes and taken
new courage and a new lease of life Had it
been confronted at Bull Run with an overpOw-
eriDg force, as it might have been, it would then
and there have given up the ghost. At all times
siRce the war began, the government has had the
power, by calling million, or a mill on and a
half if need be, Of men into the field, and pro-
perly disposing them under competent military
leadership, to crush the rebellion.


But we attribute, and the country will atirib-
ute, the state of things before Richmond to
something worse than mere mismsnsgement by
the government. We attribute, and the coun-
try wiz attribute, the state Of things before
Rctmond to the political conspiracy which was
formed against Mcclellan shortly after his ap
pointment as general-in-chief, and which has
untiringly, and with wonderful malignity, pur
sued him ever since, and which has been deter
mined that be should win no substantial sue
cesseS, and which has apparently controlled the
action Of the War Department toward him.
Nay, if we do not charge, there are respectable
conservative Republican journals which do
charge, that the Secretary of War has been
member of this conspiracy and has been the ex-
ecutor Of its plans. However this may be, GER
tain it is that he has been inimical to Mcclellan
has disarranged his plans and defeated his poll
cy, and has not reinforced him at Richmond.


Not more sincerely do the chief architects of
rebellion rejoice at the state of things before
Richmond than do the abolition conspirstofs
and their party throughout the country rejoice.
And why? Because with the latter, as with
the former, the war is to overthrow the Union.
Because, as to the latter, Mcclellan, is not an
abolitionlst, and they have been in mortal dread
lest he should at the same time win grand tri-
umph for the Federal arms, the popular applause
and gratitude for himself, and be transported by
popular acclaim by and by TO the Presidency.
Right here is the secret of the abolition political
conspiracy against Mcclellan, and right here Is
the secret of the enmity toward him of the Sec
retary Of War. To destroy Mcclellan, who
probably has not for a moment had one aspira-
ton for the Presidency, they have put in immi-
nent jeopardy the highest interests, nay, the very
existence of the country, and will rejoice at its
fall, so that it carries him with it. Rome had
but a single Nero; here we have a race Of them.