Evening Star Newspaper, October 22, 1892, Page 12

LINCOLY’S OWN HAND Wrote the Famous “Cabinet Protest” Against McClellan. THETRUTH NOW MADE KNOWN Se An Important Contribution to History—The Famous Document Penned by the Presi- | dent Himself and Signed by Four Members Of Wie Cabinet—The Story of How McC lan Saved Washington. (Written for The Evening Star by Secretary Stanton’s confidential clerk. } HE RECENT DEATH | of Gen. Pope recalls the time of the greatest peril to Washington and to the federal ment during the war. defeat at the Bull Ran battle, August 29, 1862. Le to what oc! 4 the condition « defeated armies of Gen. » Virginia at that in ow declare th greater danger from ether time. Gen. Lee had of Gen. MeCleilan and Gor marching on Washi armies were pouring inwe @inia. and both were practically Manders. Neither nor both t fm condition te meet the rictorio Gon. Lee, and Washington his mercy. ‘This was what I at thet time. ‘Telegrams fr capital was wied the armies 2 Gens. MeClellan and Pope plainly indicated that they believed that the capture of Washington was imminent. The coming of the Army of the Tot from the peninetla to join Gen. Pope wns greatly deinved, and Lee, moving swiftly from Richmond. fell upon Pope at Bull Run and de feated him. Dispatches from Alexandria gay the tiret startling intelligence that Le ‘sarmy was destroying everythi: tween Por army and Alexandria and no commmnnien. thom coult be bad wi | eume that the forts aror Be garrisoned at once, and 120,000 men, was advancing on the forts near Arlington and the Chain bridge for the capture of Washington, while Gen. Halleck was looking | for a cavalry raid upon Washington at aight WCLELEAN AT ALEXANDRIA The position of Gen. McClellan on his a et Alexandria was anomalous, It was humaliating one, and he evidently felt and disgraced. Two days elapse: rival at Alexandria before the Presi any notice of him, and that was to send him a telegram August 29, 1662, written in Mr. Stan- | Secretary eure in Washington should this army be de- | stroyed. Ivhall fight it as long as I can gota | man to stand up to the work. You must judge What i# to be done, having in view the safety of the capital.” ‘this dispateh stunned Mr. Stanton and over- whelmed the President with apprehensions for | the worst. The battle was over, the day was lost, thd Lee was moving to croes the Potomac | Bkove Washington. TRE CABINET PROTEST AGAINST GEN. MCLELLAN, ‘Warrres ny tae reesipeNT HIMSELF. Before this telegram of startling warning from Gen. Pope was received the President had determined to get rid of Gen. McClellan as the commander of the Army of the Potomac, and, on the morning of August 31, In Mr. Stanton’s room at the War Department, he himself wrote the following protest, to be signed by his cab- inet: “The undersigned, who have been honored with your selection as part of your confidential elvisers, deeply impressed with our great re- sponsibility in the present crisis, do but per- | form « painful duty in declaring to you our de- Liberate opinion that at thie time it is not safe | to intrust to Maj. Gen. MeClellan the command of any army of the United States. And we hold | ourselves ready at any time to explain to you in detail the reasons upon which this opinion is founded. the President.” This paper has the autographic signatures of the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the ‘Treasury, the Secretary of the Interior and the Attorney General. It was expected that the the Navy would sign this protest, and there is a space left for his signature above that of the Attorney General. As I have stated, it was not known inthe War Department until the close of that day that It was after Gen. Pope's | second | king back | the | War Department and to | the two} than at any | | | it personally rival | cabinet meeting.” indeed a | abbed | 2. Pope’s army bad been defeated, and on the receipt of his warning dispatch as to the safety of the capital Col. Kelton, then of Gen. Halleck’s staff, now commandant of the Soldiers’ Home at Washington, was sent over into Virginia to ascertain the extent of the defeat of Gen. Pope, , returning, reported that it was complete nd the consequent peril to Washington. ‘The President, having been fully advised by Kelton of the appalling situation of the capital, on the morning of the 2d of September went to Gen, MeClellan’s house (he then being in Washington) and put him in command of the defenses of the capital and of the troops then into the city from bis own and Pope's armies, Inthe meantime the protest and all that it meant was on Mr. Stanton’s desk in the War Department, never to be made public while the actors were Jiving. I do not think that the Prosidont came again to see Mr. Stan- ton until after he had removed Gen. McClellan from the command of the army, which was more than a month later. r T DRAFT. The order ph mand tormy cabinet m f the F ction with Mr. Stanton's position in the It will be found interesting in this ion to give here what history has to say certain cabinet protest, not, how ae one which I imve given. g Gen mK resulting Mech ne Ten ne been. previo’ a, and having igned by Stax: zn it on the ground that it might reer ¢ this was the exact reverse of its intent, He said he agreed in opinion and was willing to exprees ‘This determined us to await the ra: ‘Of thi protest Secretary Welles “But Was defeated and the army, sadly demoralized, came retreating to the Potomac. ‘The War Department, especially Stanton and Halleck, became greatly alarmed. On the 80th of August, in the midat of there dirasters and before the result had reached us, though moat z v | damaging information in regard ‘to McClellan, ton'e room, merely whi ‘Wha wacypebypegd ST redat Alexandria, was current, tho direction of Manassas? generally?” To| 5 of the Tr Mr. Chase, called this quickly came the following answer “The last news I received from the direction Of Manarsss was from styggliers, to the effect | £ that the enemy were evacuating Centerville end retirmg toward Thoroughfare (iap. This fe by no means rehable. 1 am clear that one of two courses should be adopted: First, to concen- trate all our available forces to open communi- cation with Pope; second, to leave Pope to get out of his scrape and at once use all our means to make the capital perfectly safe. No middie course will now answer. Tell what you wich me to do and [ will do all in my power to ac- complish it. I wish to know what my orders and authority are. Task for nothing, bat will obey whatever orders you give. I only ask o Prompt decision that may at once give the Revessary It will not do to delay longer.” Before this telegrams from Col. Haupt and Gen. McClellan indicated unmistakably that he CMcClellan) had no desire to help Gen. Pope. | Hisconduct was watched by the President, Who was with Mr. Stanton at that time every day, and sew all the telegrams and knew of all the efforts of Cien. Halleck to get the troops moved vut from Alexandria to help Pope in the Rattles which they believed he must be then fighting. The President and Mr. Stanton talked ting Gen. They dis- luct in refusing to cussed Gen. MeClelian’s co: ect upon orders from Gen. Halleck to send troops, and ‘ope was to t to get out of rape,” instead of MeClellan teying quickly to save him. ‘They also talked of Gen. McClellan's remaining on a barge with Die staff officers opposite Alexandria until he War discovered by Col. Haupt, who te find him fed to row from barge to barge, w! troops were in Alexandria, which he ( Me(lellan), had Be the force and energy of a competent lew should have come ashore « isent out to hely Pope Before thie the President and Mr. Stanton @onversed about Gen. Melellan’s procrastina tion end had much te find fault with in his @onduct ew! manageme the grand ar Bewides the written Mr. Stanton was ¢: that is unwritten that helped t perpetual state of doubt bot @bility and bis desire wo vigorously sight eer: history which tanWy advised ast THE PRESIRENT'S REPLY. To the above dent merely Qlternative. 1 jailable forces Pope, u the righ fol. That I now By your counse This was w: fadicated that your all open communieation with Bu wish it to con to Gen. Halleck, aided leay tt in Mr. the Pre ton's room and t, after patiently @anding by MeClellan, at last wanted tc Get rid of hie. At this eritical time the only person at Alex- endria who worked like «hero day and night te Pope was Col. i Haupt, » cit- va im the but only special design Secretary of War as superinicndent of railroads With supreme powers. He worked with all his Might and power without pay. He temporary attache of the War Department sort of appendage secking to be useful rathe than ornamental His conduct in assuming the responsibihty of sending out troops after Gen. MoClelian refused to co-operate with him was spoken of by the President iv high terms ef prabe in comparison with the Geu. MeClellan, who thought time to send out troops t way Col Haupt wanted and ¢ Gen. MoCleilan afterward comme a Bad fought terrible battle on the that Gen. McClellan had sald “to leave Pope Get out of his scrape.” The suspense as to am the Presi- | first | with « protest, signed by himeelf and on, denouncing the conduct of Gea. Me- demanding his immediate dismissal, Two other members were ready tonppend their signatures after mine. Ideclined fo sign the paper, which was in the handwriting of Mr. ton; not that I did not disapprove of the c of the general, but because the combination was improper and disrespectful to the President. I had doubted the wisdom of recalling the Army of the Potomac from Richmond, the rein differing from Chase and Stanton. The ob- ject in bringing that army back to Washington ler to start a new the abandoned position I did_ not _under- stand, unless it was to get rid of Gen. 3 lan. ‘Tho President never knew of this paper, St but was not unaware of the popular feeling | against that officer, in which he sympathized, and of the sentiments of the members of the cabinet, aggravated by the hostility and strong, if not exaggerated, rumors sent out by the Secretary of War. Both Stanton and Halleck were, however, filled with apprehensions be- yond others, as the army of stragglers and broken battalions on the last of August and first of September caine rushing toward Wash- ington.” fa“Abraham Lincoln—A Histo re- ferring to this protest and to the placing of Gen. McClellan in command, it is stated: “The restoration of McClellan to command was Mr. Lincoln's own act. The majority of the cabinet were strongly opposed to ft. The Secre- | tary of War and the Secretary of the Treasury agreed, upon the 29th of August, in a re- ce against McClellan's continuance in mand in any army of the Union. They re- ced it to writing; it was signed by them- and the Attorney General and_afterward by the Secretary of the Interior. The Secre- tary of the Navy concurred in the judgment of his colleagues. bat declined to sign it on the ground that it might seem unfriendly to the President. In the cabinet meeting of the 2d eptember the whole subject was freely discwsed. The Secretary of War dis- claimed any responsibility for the action taken, saying that the order to Me- (lellan was given Bim directly — by tand that Gen, Halleck considered jieved from any responsibility by it, yuiesced and approved the or- ught that McClellan was now in a shirk all responsibility, 1 Halleck, while Halleck der the President. Mr. view of the transaction, saying that he cousidered Gen, Halleck as much n command of the army as ver, and that Gen. shad been charged with special fune- ommand the troops for the defense gtom, and that he placed him there ‘The Secretary of the this proceeding does not orn for the lack of spirit by the . aud at a Inter date he adds: ‘It is liating, but prompted, I beheve, by Jesire to serve the country, and a Li he supersede Gen, McClellan ter no advantage could put much harm in the troops, Mr. Lincoln cer- f his great qualities, His y made him sometimes just resentments. Gen. McClellan's orst offenses had been committed against the person. The insulting dispatch m Savage's station and the letter from Har- n which he took the President whole course of his civil and stration, would probably have y no other ruler that everlived, coln never appeared to bear the will to the general on acconnt of feel deeply the conduct »pe. He was outraged an’s suggestion to leave Pope to his cone of his household on the “He has acted badly toward nted him to fail.’ And after n command of the Army of he repeated this revere headed: “There is no one in can man these fortifications and ye of ours into shape half as well 4 he said: “We mnst use tho af Le eapnot fight bimeelf. be ex- to fight." Three od pet Gen. MeClel- nd of the defenses of Washing- Lincoln, ‘is working ms to be aroused into do- sort of snubbing be got of the relations of the President is ¢ the historians of Abraham Lin- is McClellan in com- } r the defense of the capital and the | om such} evident I will presently atate, in | Of this other and | ar protest I will speak ina future article, | crther slightly | ‘Smith. | 1endly to the President. though | reh overland and re- | tld see no one who could do so | “I should like to know whether you feel se-/ ‘One such was when Stanton with several | the members of the cabinet signed « protest against McClellan's being put in command of the Army of the Potomac after Pope's defeat in Virginia. In this instance these signers had the good From this it is evident that the protest written known to the President's historians. The pro- test they refer to was one written by Mr. Stanton giving certain reasons why Gen. Mc- Clellan should be “immediately removed from any command in the armies of the United States,” and which protest the President saw and had in Mr. Stanton's room when he himeelf wrote the one I have given and from which he partly copied. This pro- test written by Mr. Stanton is the one Secre- tary Welles refers to and which he says he de- clined to sign on the ground that it would be disrespectful to the President. Of this objec- tion the President was advised and he wrote the protest himself, which I have given, that Mr. Welles might see that it had his sanction and approval. Another reason why the President wrote the protest himself, which was to be pub- lished at that time, was that he deemed it best to avcid the discussion which would have cer- ‘tainly resulted from a statement of the reasons in so grave and momentous an affair. I have thus given all the facta of the cabinet protest, which was written by the President himself. It is important, however, that I should here state that the protest, in ite first written form, did not originate with Mr. Stanton, but with Mr. P. H. Watson, then assistant secretary of war. HOW M'CLELLAN WAS RESTORED TO COMMAND. I will now refer to the order restoring Gen. ‘McClellan to the command of the army for the Protection of the capital and what was said about it at that stormy cabinet meetirig. This order was prepared by Col. Kelton of Gen. Halleck’s staff and was issued by Adjt. Gen. Townsend as “By order of the Secretary of War.” But Mr. Stanton did not give such order, and as it was irregularly given by the President he (Mr. Stanton) had it made as “By order of Maj. Gen. Halleck.” Two orders therefore were sent to Gen, McClellan, the reason fot which, he says, he did not under- stand, and states that Mr. Stanton made it and then denied it, Referring to this change in the order Gen. ‘Townsend says in his interesting and valuable “Anecdotes of the Civil War": ‘There was probably some supposed political significanceat- tached to this. Atany rate Secretary Stanton desired me to see that the order in the new form shotild appear in all the papers which had al- ready published it,and that the Washington Ev corrected form. I accordingly saw the editor, handed him a copy, communicated to him the Becretary’s wish and cautioned him against the possible contingency of the order having been already set up in ite erroneous form from morning paper. He promised to see to it, and returned to the department satirficd that no mistake could possibly occur, To my amaze- ment, in the afternoon the Secretary (who had quickly obtained a copy of Tx Stax) handed me a copy of Tur Stan in which was the order in the objectionable form. Going to Tar Stan office I taxed the editor with not having heeded what Ihad tried to impress uponhim. He sent for a copy of the paper, then lying on the counter for sale, and I confess to being some- what dazed when I there sew the order unmis- takably fn its right form. he first time that there must be some trath in the existence of witches. The explanation was hat the order had been copied from the morn- ing papers and a very few proof copies of Tx Stam had been struck off before the correction my manuscript was received, and all the main edition of the paper was quite correct.” A MEMORABLE CABINET MEETING, Secretary Chase thus describes that cabinet eting of September 2: ‘be Secretary of War came in. tosomeinquiry the fact was stated by the President or Secretary that McClellan had been it mimand of the forces t rather, to use the Pre lent’s own ington, b lieving that he could do that better than any other man, I remarked that this could be done equaliy well by the engineer who constructed the f ‘The Secretary of War said that no .€ was now responsible for the defense of the direct by the President to MeCiellan and that Gen. Halleck considered himself relieved from responsibility, although he acquiesced in the order; that McClellan could now shield himself skould — anything — go wrong under Halleck, while Halleck could and would disclaim all responsibility for the order given. The President thought Gen. Halleck as much responsible as before, and repeated that the whole scope of the order was simply to di- rect M@flellan to put the troops into the forti- fications and command them for the defense of Washington. I remarked that I could not feel but that giving command to him was equiva- lent to giving Washington to the rebels. This I said and more. The President eid it dis- tressed him exceedingly to find himself differ- ing on such a point, from the Secretary of War andthe Secretary ofthe Treasury; that he would gladly resign his place, but that he could not see who could do the work as weil as MeClel- lan. Inamed Hooker or Sumner or Burnside, either of whom could do the work better.” SEWARD AND M'CLELLAN. Again Mr. Chase says: “It may not be generally known, but it nevertheloss true, that Mr. Seward entertain great admiration and a most sincere regard for Gen. George B. McClellan, or ‘George,’ as Mr. Jools sea familiarly and affectionately to him. Once, when speaking of the general, Mr. Seward told me that he considered him one of the most forbearing, self-controlled and pa- tient men whom he had ever known. He only remembered a single occasion upon whiclshe displayed an implacable feeling of resentment. This was after bis rupture with Mr. Stanton and his retirement from the command of tho Army of the Potomac. The rebels were pouring north and the battle which {* known to us by the name of ‘Antietam’ wasto be fought. There was a panic in Washington aud after much con- sideration it was determined to invite Gen. Me- Clellan to again head our forces, Mr. Seward was selected to convey to him the desire and to urge his acceptance. To hissurprise and disap- fntment heat first found George’ inexorable. He felt that Mr. Stanton had treated him with too much injustice to permit him to accept the offer consistently with his own self-respect. For # long time he would not recede from his refusal,and it was only after repeated urging by Mr. Seward that he was induced to undertake to fight that one battle, it being, however, dis- tinetly understood that there should be no per- sonal reconciliation between himself and the Secretary of War.” The Secretary of the of this cabinet meeting: At the stated cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the 2d of September, while the whole commia- nity was stirred up and in coufuston and affairs were growing worse beyond anything that had previously occurred, Stanton entered the coun- cil room a few moments in advance of Mr. Lincoln and enid with great excitement he had just learned from Gen. Halleck that the Presi- ent bad placed Gen. McClellan in command of the forces in Washington. The information was surprising, and, in view of the prevailing excitement against that officer, alarming. The | President soon eame in and in answer to an in- quiry from Mr. Chase confirmed what Stanton | Rad stated. General rogret was exprossed and Stanton with some feeling remarked that no | order to that effect had issned from the War | Department. Tho Prestdent calmly, but with some emphasis, sald that the order was his and he would be responsible for it to the country. | Before separating the Secretary of the Treasury expressed his appreension that the reinstate- ment of MeCl would prove a national calamity.” ‘M'CLELLAN'S OWN STORY. In Gen. McClellan's “Own Story” he says: “On the Ist of September, 1862, I met Gen. Halleck at his office in Washington, who by verbal order directed me to tke charge of Washington and its defenses, but expressly prohibited me from exercising any control over | the active troops of Gen. Pope. Next morn- ing, while I was at breakfast, abont 7 or 7:30 | o'clock, the President and Gen. Halleck came to my house, The President informed me that Col. Kelton (who had becn sent to the front to | report the real state of affairs) had returned | and bad represented the condition of affairs as much worse than I had stated to Halleck ou the ‘avy, Mr. Welles, says whether that battle was victory or a defeat | cola at the questions of diference be- | Péevious day; that there were 30,000 Gentinacd wntil the afternoon of the Sist, when | tween them rarely came ton head, and there See Sar suey e-. @ telegram was received from Gen. Pope, say-| wore few instances in whicli (hey ever became | fusion. He then said ‘that he regeeled Weeks tag: sediciently defincd to leave a writen record. ington as lost, and asked me if I would under 4 sense not to send their protest to Mr. Lincoln.” by the President himself in Mr. Stanton’s room, and a copy of which have given, was not NING Stan ehould be sure to have it in the | I began to think for | pital; that the order to McClellan was given | circumstances, as = resume commend ‘and do the best could be done. Without one moment's hesitation, and without we conditions what- ever, Tat once said that I would the command and would stake my life thet I would save the city. Both the President and Gen. Halleck again asserted that it was impossible to save the city, and I repeated my firm convic- Hon thet Tootld and would save it. then ; the President verbally me in en- tise opeumead Of tor eter ead ot oe fall- ing back upon it from the front. He in- pivtriang os dl cxy Mere afl wgad - collect ‘the stragglers, to place the works proper state of defense and to go out and take & ing.” Again, in McClellan's “Own Story,” it is stated: “While he was placing the army to meet the and did riot extend to any active column that might be moved out beyond the line of works; that no decision had yet been made as to the com- mander of the active army, and that Gen. Hal- leck repeated the same thing on more than one oceasion before the final advance of the army to meet Lee; that as the time arrived for the army to advance and he had received no orders to take command of it, but had been expressly told that the ment of a commander had not been decided, he determined to solve the question for himself and moved ont from Wash- ington, with his staff and_personal escort, leav- ing his card with “P. P. C.” written upon It at the President's house, the war office and Sec- Seward’s house, and went on his way to the front and fought the battles of South Moun- tain and Antietam with a halter around bis neck; that if the army had been defeated and he had survived he would no doubt have been tried for assuming command without orders, and that in the then state of feeling he would [eee d have been condemned to death; that 16 wax fully aware of the risk he ran, but that the path of duty was clear and that he tried to follow it.” GEN. HALLECK'S VERSION. Referring to this matter, Gen. Halleck says: “The assignment of Gen. McClellan to the command of the army in the field just prior to the Marvland campaign was made verbally by the President, at Gon. McClellan's own house, about 9 o'clock in the morning (which, I think, was September 7, 1862), in my presence. He said to : ‘General, you will take command of the forces in the field.’ Until that moment 1 did not know who was to take command. I will add that Gen. McCiellan, in virtue of his being laced in command of the fortifications of Washington dnd of troops for defense within them, was really in commarid of all troops here atthat time. The question was discussed by the President for two or three days as to who should take command of the troops that were to go into the field. The decision was meade by | himself and announced to Gen. MeClellan in my presence.” WHY LINCOLN TURNED TO MCLELLAN. The President, seeing the imminent dancer to Washington, and remembering Gen. Mc- Clellan’s plea for orders, and knowing that he must rely upon the Army of the Potomac and | the former popular commander of that army to save the capital, instinctively turned to that commander, under whom he hoped that great army would aseume new lifeand power. In aseuming command Gen, McCiellan i a surprising acti armies into fighting condition, made the de- fenses around Washington secure and sent out | an army 90,000 strong to mect Lee, then at tho very gates of the capital, fought. the battle of the Antictam and saved Washington. From the moment Pope's startling telegram kad been received until the battle of Antictam had been | won there was nothing but gloom in the War | Department. It was then evident the Presi- was made, which was immediately done when | dent had been fortunate in looking to Gen. | From the Great Div | McClellan to ave Washington, ‘i put the two defeated | this order of the President Mr. Stanton hed no part, but I know that he would have dismised Gen. MoClellan long before that if be could ave Gone eo. Nor have 1 a doubt, and never hed, that if McOleilan had fought that army es be ought to and could have done, Mi. Stanton woud not only have putat bie command all the power and resources of the government, Dut would have rejoiced to have sent bulletins to Gen. Dix at New York of the fact that Gen. ‘MoOlellan was fighting the Army of the Potomac in the way that gave bope of soon closing the war, Indeed, that was what Mr. Stanton told Gen, McClellan when he became Secretary of ‘War. At his reception in the War Department of the officers of the army,among whom was Gen. McClellan, the Secretary sald: “It is my business to furnish the armies and the means to equip and sustain them, but it is youre to use them, and fighting we must have if this country is to be saved from rain.” Allthe commanders in the field, all the armies, the PresMent, the cabinet, all the offi- ctals of the War Department, knew that the Secretary of War wanted fighting, and this he wanted especially of the Army of the Potomac. ‘Nothing exasperated him so much as to ask him if “all was quiet aloag the Potomac,” because it was that army that he looked upon to save the life of the republic; it was to that army he looked for a conquering victory, and at last it came. Ithad fought its last battle. It had gained tho crown by fighting. It had saved the republic and made it an empire. A. E. H. Jouxsox, Washington, October 8, 1892. ANDREW'S BROTHERHOOD. An Organization in the Eptscops! Church Which Has Grown Rapidly. The organization known as the Brotherhood of St. Andrew in the Episcopa! Church has been brought prominently before the people of Wash- ington during the past two weeks by special services here during the session of the general convention in Baltimore. This brotherhood was organized out of a young men’s Biblg class in St. James’ Church, Chicago, on St. Andrew's day, 1883, and now bas 10,000 members from every state and territory. It was organized | strictly for spiritual work, its sole object, as stated, being the spread of Christ's kingdom among men. It has but two simple rulés, which are that each membor shall pray daily for the spread of Christ's kingdom among men and for God's blessing on the work of the brotherhood, and to make an earnest effort each week t0 | bring another man within the influence of the fospel of Jesus Christ. The nature of the rotherhood work is determined by its single object and the example of its patron saint, who first brought is brother, Simon. Peter. to Jesus, ‘This work is the same for every member and every parish chapter, but it is variously applied to meet different circumstances. Many kinds and methods of work have thus been developed and employed. A Bible class for men bas always been a di tinctive featu cl The same may be said of welcoming men at church services and visiting them in their homes. Special services for men, open chapter meetings, distribution of church notices, lay reading, mission work. reading rooms, work in hotels and boarding houses, services in hoapi- tals, prisons and other public institutions and many other places are alco utilized as instru- ments f spread of Christ's kingdom, ity willbe given all thoxe who wish ore of thix work ina special meetir Church of the Ascension, the last of the beheld tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ‘The or, Rev. Dr. J. H. Euiott, will preside, and dresses will be made by the Rt. Rev’ Dr. Nelson, bishop of Georg: ev. Dr. Capees of Trinity Church, Columbia, 8.C.; Rev. John | Williams of Oimaha and Mr. Silas McBee, ee ond vice prosident of the general council of the brotherhood. oe ‘Wasps That Are Miners’ Friends. ‘The miners of Colorado who have built cabina AsT then raw and understood the danger of |" the mountain sides know what a pest the the situation, and as I now look back and re-| ‘eal all the surroundings of that time of G | Lee's march for Washington, I am permaded | 3 In answer | that the President, in his great wisdom, did the | them in your eyes and mouth, Not only that, that was to meet Lee and the | yof the capital. That arm defend the | way looking for Gen. McClellan. Its brilliant | best for the arn best for the safe and reliable fighting corps commanders did not question his right to command. The Army of | the Potomac had but one idol, and all along its weary lines that idol received a grand ovation. |For thirteen days that army was without a | commander, yet moving on to be marshaled in battle by some person against « marshal match- legs and illustrious in battle, who, had he won | again, ypuld have bottled up the army in the | defenses of Washington, and the Federal Union would have perished. Referring to that telegram of Gen. McClellan it is important here to state that in answer to that part in which he says, “I wish to know what my orders and authority are. I ask for nothing, but will obey whatever orders you sive. Ionly usk a prompt decision, that I may at once give the necessary orders,” Mr. Stanton on that same day wrote an order, which was issued by Gen. Townsend, defining certain com- mands in Virginia. In this order Gen. McClel- lan’s command was stated to be ‘that portion of the Army of the Potomac that has not been sent forward to Gen. Pope's command.” It #0 happened at that time that Gon. McClellan's command was only his personal escort and staff, about one hundred men, his entire army having been then sent forward to Pope. WITH THE PRESIDENT'S SANCTION. As Mr. Stanton has been held responsible and has been severely criticised for the terrible snubbing directed to Gen. McClellan in this order, I wish to state that it was issued with the knowledge and consent of the President and in consultation witi him. It was that same order which gave Gen. Halleck command of all the forces as general-in-chief. Mr. Stanton never made an order in regard to Gen. Mc- Clellan’s command of any importance that id not receive the sanction of the Prosidont. It was this very order that Mr. Stanton had in his mind when, in that cabinet meeting, he told the President that he bnd virtually relieved Gen. Halleck of all responsibility under that order—which was the President’s—when he put Gen. McClellan in command of the defenses of servation Washington. After the lapse of twenty-nine years the reason why President Lincoln finally removed Gen. McClellan from the command of the Army of the Potomac is disclosed. Referring to this disclosure I find iy “Abraham Lincoln— A History’ that it is stated: . “If McClellan after the battle of Antietam had destroyed the army of Lee his official posi- tion would have been impregnable. If after Lee had recroseed the Potomac MeClellan bad followed and delivered a successful battle in Virginia nothing could afterward have pro- vented his standing ag the foremost men of his time. The President, in his intense anxiety for the succesa of the federal cause, would have welcomed McClellan as his own presumptive successor if he could have won that position b: successful battle. But the general's inexpli- cable slowness had at Inst excited the Presi- dent's distrust. He began to think before the end of October that McClellan had no real desire to beat the cnemy. Ho set in his own mind the limit of his forbearance. He adopted for his guidance a test, which he communicated to no one until long afterward, on'which he determined to base his inal judgment of McClellan. If he should Permit Leo to cross the Blue Ridge and place imseif between Richmond and the Army of the Potomac he would remove him from the command. When it was reported in Washing- ton that Lee and Longstreet were in Culpeper Court House, the President sentan order, dated the 5th of November, 1862, to Gen. NeClellan directing him to report for further orders at Trenton, N. J.,and to turn the command of the Army of the Potomac over to Gen. Burn- In the darkness and silence of midnight this order was delivered by a messenger direct from the President ‘to Gen. McClellan while he ‘was alone in his tent, Just forty-eight days after he had fought the battle of Antictam and saved Washington, and still his conduct and inactivity ‘were inexplicable, and to the President he was inexorable. What mystery, what motive, hung over and controlled him will never be known. But the President,as a great and beueficent Sie epeees with marvelous solicitude all actions, which it seemed then impossible to understand. ‘ sete sti sinall brown wood spider proves tobe. They throw their webs over our best clothes, cooking utensils, in every corner where you can got but they will drop into the fr, bucket, or upon the table wher But natare furnished a remedy and a friend when she gave the spider hawk. The name is given by mtiers toa small stecl-blue wasp, al- most three-fourths of an inch in length. 'He can easily be recognized by the quiek, nervous strokes of his wings. They build a nest up among the rafters of your cabin of wood e orfurze from the outer coating of old dea: trees, ‘Then they are ready for business. Every few minutes you can see your hawk climb up the rafiers with a spider, sometimes carcying one four or five times its own weight. Sometimes they get a spider eo heavy that they will fall many times before they succeed in reaching their nest. They never give up, but keep ontrying until they succeed. When the spider & safsly placed in the nest the fe- male hawk deposits her egg in the dead body. ‘The hawks live only in pairs, as far as my ob- oes, ‘They become rather tame and obliged to you for building the ing pan, water out are eating. seem to spider trap for their benefit. sincalbnres ieee es, Almost a Hint. From Texas Siftings. “It’s a beautiful day fora walk,” she said, looking out of the window. “Indeed it is,” he said, doing likewise. “Would you like to take a walk?” he con- tinued. bove all things.”” “Then, why don't you?” coe For Revenge’ From Truth. You consent, finally, to my marrying Algy, mother dear?” “Yes, daughter, with all my heart.” int you said you hated him.” “That's why I want to be his mother-in-law.” SSS SS Gentlemen Who Fat at Lunch Counters Should Be Careful. Sake. | can, | aystemati | place fn literature, wh: | printed. e of brotherhood chapter work. | : | treating Columbs and devo (‘great collection of ori COLUMBUS’ CRITICS. Librarian Spofford’s Address on the Great Discoverer. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL. Much Data From Which to Compile Fi torles of His Life—The Voyager Who Sailed to Find an Unknown World—Estimates of His Character—Recent Hursh Comments. An interesting feature of the Discovery day celebration held under the auspices of the Washington city presbytery at the New York Avenue Church yesterday was the address of Mr. A.B, Spofford, the librarian of Congress. The address was a scholarly presentation of the salient points in the career of the great ad- mi Mr. Spofford si Among the many lives of Columbus that bave been written there exist some twenty-five in the English language. Of these three or four only have any historical or critical value, and one only of those written by Englishime of Arthur Helps) is worthy of notic mass of biographies, both Eng and Ameri- re mere echocs or abridgements, in other | ‘* forms of language, of the great work ‘of Wasii- ington Irving, first published m 1823. This book was written in collections of doc rinted, not previously u: Hence its value ax the life of Colun peared in an graceful style, works of ite a and b manu by bic pain, ed uy ript more than half a centur Next in poi ar was, clined to the | nish court, ities of Perdis sts in English Harvard U: eburacterized by wide the early and recent the hi varied research into literature bearing upon ory of Columbus, 9 critical sitting tiesand an entire absence of admiration for its illustrious subject. atl sources of information about Columbus the most important are: First, the jaal documents printed in Spanish by Navarrete in 1825-37, and partly reprinted in a French translation in 18: d, the “Historia general de las Indias” of also in Spanish, partly published in 5 the “Historia ‘de las Indias,” the Spanish bishop Las Caras, composed in 1527 to 1561, which remained’ in manuscript until 1875, when it was printed from the | the profits of his euterprise, if succeseful. to | original Spanish. fourth, the Letters aud the | rescue the tomb of Christ trom the infidels. | | Himself adevoutson of the church, he fer. eously with the discovery of Amer- | Decades of Peter Martyr, contempo: ica, and printed in Latin in 1590 and [partly] in English in 1555; fifth, the Reyes Catolicos” of Andres Bernaldez: and sixth, the life of the discoverer by Ferdinan Columbus, first published in 1571, at Veuice, in Italian. The last four writers ‘had nal written in part | bearing mar | which “are $ abject franght with to much iphorent it to bear, the laud- JBdemente of Irving and Prescott, ren- ii Ff H fulsome laudstion® of bis principal & and pious culogies place ite author in the front rank of the catonizere, PRE-COLUMBIAN DISCOVERIES, | them jculty, contradictory evidence, and eqnfict be is on the safest ground who can- | such a crew, to restrain their ir lawless acts of violence, and secure some semblance of decency in their conduct toward the natives Many of den to carry them on thetr backs. & most unhappy fect thet the biographer, Roselly de Lorgues, whose rhetori-| missionaries of the crose were offen ac- panegyrics companied by bands of miscreants, who | wantonly broke every commandment in the | Decalogue, and trampled upon every precept of On the otber hand, those who have taken the | th Gospel. See him in his last voyage, beating unfavorable view of Columbus have done their utmost to divest him of most of the honors which the general voice of history has assigned him as America’s great discoverer. The estab- lished fact that parts of North America were seen centuries before, though no settlement nor continuity of intercourse ensued, has been used to discredit him, though he was undeniably the pioneer who set’ out witha plan to discover, and did discover by design, what others found only by accidebt. Hix geographical ideas were derived, they sar, from Behaim and Toacanelli; his nautical skill from Pinzon; his certainty of finding new lands from ‘01 courageand daring from some of hi voyagere. Weare pointed to his double reckoning on the firet voyage, by which bs deceived his sailors as to their true distance from evidence of « false He in « ambition, cupidity ing titles, dignities and money as fruits of his Giscoverion. He was, we are told, a fanatic, a visionary. a tyrax:, a buccaneer,a liar and a trader.” He was proud, cruel and vin- ontradictory judgmentfand the bias of zeal, the bewtidered reader is som what in the position of the Juror who, after ses swenring to facts : ied under listens to. the learned cour oath by others, : | Bat the true course i | ment is to weigh each | accept nothing that is not prover | of education or o | Irabeti of | | and to bring their inhabitants into the fold of | many perilous occasions of hi “Historia de los | lo other's arguments concludes his y siding with ¢ rs of b in of evidence, and to The method habit is to take everything hod of science is to tuk ‘The for gra: hing for g: 1 -the nted. Whi 38 or terpret every act acter and environ be mm concralmen: PEN PORTRAITS OF Wo t manner of then, was this ¢ tramp of fom ™ with whos columbus was ~ aut and Bernald. orian of F who a intizomtely in his later y lofty genius, y honored memory Lamb singu- The intter zeal for his him ao) h was suming * Ture as it proved discover disco: would take no denials never to. despair, ritual nature w lectual. Hero his imagination was the pre dominant faculty, He firmly believed himself divinely commistioned to find out the Indies, raged by no rebuff seemed to be the true faith. He had early vowed to devote veutly believed that he had miraculous aid on Jit ‘od, he was sufliciently proud ore men. He ineis Humble before and independent ain deemed exacting, but the views and the tenacity of Columbus « per knowledge or intercourse with Columbus, | ried the day, and bis own terme. were. gran while Las Casas,Oviedo, and Ferdinand had the | advantage of residence’ in America, and int- mate knowledge of the aborigines and of the men and events of the period. Modern eriti- cism has cast doubts upon the uathenticity of the life by Ferdinand Columbus, but the con- troversy, while it may the narrative is m materials which must and. The internal evidence ow centuries, _corrobora it ie mui almost contemporaneousls not inaptly, “the corner stone of the history of the American continent.” Besides these original sources of information, weowe much to the learned and laborious re- searches of Henry Harrisse, a French-Ameri- can, who for thirty years has pursued the clh-sest and most fruitful investigations into the history of Columbus, and whose writing upon it ave enriched the literature of the sub- ject with critical contributions of inestimable value. Sammari: as ing the matter, we have about ves of Columbus in English, six in Spanish, fourteen in Italian, nine in French and six'in German. But these by no means exhaust the bibliography of the subject. There are numerous treatises on the birthplace of Co- lumbus, on his parentage, on his nationality, on his iandfall, or place of actual first landin in America, on his voyages, on his geographical’ knowledge, on bis cartog- Taphy, on his morality, on his portraite, on his descendants, on his place of sepulture, and on his beatitication—or his merits as. can- didate for the honors of canonization. The catalogue of the British Museum library shows | 175 tit under the name of Columbus, while ‘Mr. Harrisse, who may fairly be said to know more on the subject than any one living, asserts that his researches oxhibit 600 titlos devoted to Columbus exclusively, besides the countless notices of his life and voyages in books of his- tory, geography, &c. prove a composite | authorship, does not shake our confidence that | from later critical MATTERS OF CONTROVERSY. Almost every item involved in the chequered | Work, The and eventful life of Columbus has afforded a | fruitful theme for controversy. His birth, even, is disputed, under stress of conflictin, 1447, a discrepancy of twelve years. His birth- | Ww claimed by more towns than that cad een | is constructod on the lace Geen. Bis tae! ledge of astronomy, geogra. phy and navigation is asserted and denied with Various degrees of pertinacity. His treatment by the sovereigns of Portugal, Castile and Ara- a is so far in question that irreconcilable dif- [rcences of opinion exist. How mock Colam- bus really owed to the aid of the crown, and how much to private enterprise, in fitting out his expeditions of discorery cannot be definitely ascertained. How far he jor Birwraeery A the igotry or helped by the enlightenment of pow- fon ecclesiastics is a theme of perennial con- troversy. The island where he first landed is so far from being identified, that many books have been written to prove the claims of this, that | and the other gem of the sea to be the true land- fall of Columbus. His treatment of the natives has been made the subject of uneparing de- nunciation and of undiscriminating eulogy. His conduct toward his own often mutinoxs | crews is alternately lnudec as humane and gen- erous, or denounced 4s arrogant and cryel, a> cording to tho sympathies, the point of view, the candor or the bias of ‘the critic. His im- prisonment and attempted disgrace has been theme of indignant comment and of ex- tenuating apology. His moral character and marital relations are subjects of irreconcila} t. His deep religions differences of ‘asa mark of exalted merit by some nd sti tized by others as cant ast y | wand hostile tribes, eo: at Inst. He never forgot. in all his subsequent trials and homiliations, that he was a Spanish admiral and viceroy of the Indies. RECENT UNFAVORABLE CRITICISMS, ‘The most unfavorable judgments of the char- acter and acts of Columbus bave proceeded ters, not so well gifted nly a genuine record of | with sympathy or insight into character as “ids point to a carcerso full of parade ave come from Ferdi- | witha talent for eriticiam pure and simple, ™&Y even | His latest biographer, Justin Winsor stronger than the accepted credit of three | . has dealt with Columbus far more barebly than any of in the | his predecessors. While he gives him grudg- | Pathetic close. facts by the history of Las Casas, written | ing praise for his success, he reiterates the cap- Irving styles it, | tious criticism that he blandered upon America | . indeed, the merit while in search for Asia, a8 were less great of discovering a new world, than of extending the boundaries of the old. He | "at discoverer | admits no palliations for the severities of Co- lumbus toward the savages, and charges upon him all the cruelties of which the age war no | fruitful. Ie sees in the lofty enthusiasm of the discoverer little but the vagaries of a dis- ordered brain. He charges him with a mercen- ary spirit, and looks upon his devotion of the ultimate profits of his enterprise to recovery of the holy eepalcher from the Moslems as a chimera, He charges upon Columbus the whole guilt of the slavery of the Indians, aud contrasta it with the broad humanity of Las Casas, apparently forgetting that the good bishop of Chiapas himself favored ensinving the Africans—as if the slavery of the blacks were less cruel and unjust than the slavery of the copper colored. THe sees in the fervent re~ ligious utterances of Columbus nothing more a “pious whimsies,” snd denounces hum for ” ignoring the great object which the admiral had in view, and bis dying bequest of one-tenth of his’ estate to Genoa to reduce the taxes paid by all men on the necessaries of life. He styles the somewhat extravagant language somecimes used by Co- lumbus his “moods of hallucination, in his frequent ap ejaculations." ‘e need not the thorongh and echolarly work the Hgrvard professor, however may be constrained to dissent his conclusions. His recently Ametica,” completed in eight volumes, monument of ekill and research, which no one nd arrogance, in demand- | al in compassing his great a n conditions which the haughty eovercigns high jand Dead Sea ashe: | miserable old age in rotten and unseaworthy m | mortal ke malice. | pens of critics, nor the asswults of icone | can avail to destroy it, nd finds | held in the First Congregational Church last ls to heaven only “canting evening. The auditorium about the rocks rehipelago, overtaken bs almost engulfed in waterspouta, seud- ding under bare wg amtd perilous breakers, hightning. deafened Incessa nt reals of thunder, bis crazy little caravels tosmed like cockleshells in the raging wares, hie anchors lost, his worm-eaten veescls as fall of holes as a honeyromb, two caravels abandoned and the two remaining run on shore at Jamaica, where Columbus built bute on their decks to shelter his forlorn crew. See him stranded here, pressed by hunger and want, visited by sicktiers and almost Slindneas, barning. with fever under the wilting, blacing heat of the tropics, desolate, forsaken, infirm and old. There be lay a whole year without relief, all the cup of his misery was fall. TRIED DY THE STANDARD OF nS AOR. If Columbus was sometimes harsh and cruel, we are to remember that he lived in an age when the most cruel and barbarous pu ments were common. ‘bere are numerous un- his clemency both to the natives and olted Spaniards, and be more then once jeopardized his own life by Among a treacherous aud vindi of whom were continually plotting for bi throw, the admiral, endowed with full over the lives and acts of his follo compelled to make examp of whom were crim prisons of Spai ‘ ¥ With treachery, cruelty with craclty. Tnever learned to love his enem: to tarn his eh the man invested with abs rmer age, who al ne acale the few m: and derperate rators whom he ¢ be executed, and add to them all thr savage aboragin he exterminated mostly ° the ten burned alive by the Inqui enty years of the dish direction of To ion of Ferdin which wax t Put snine d then way vear of his wnisbed a re thus dri lands, ‘Try him by the moral standards not of our humane and enlightened age. but by th of his own. pared with the wa that were done by Hobadiila the governors who replaced him s appears, at ite we id and mercifill. By ocitien v der Cortes in Mexi the fow deeds of bh pear sight extenuate litle righ t set up tn his Columbas ap- right to bis abuses, we have as to ® standard nowhere veal for , Columban glaring mistakes and erroras le or reformer baa He bad strong pase he kicked and cuffed a fellow had excited his indigna George Washi monument, as has b there is mo white enough to build. He was a g-anted —and #0 was i'eter the Hermit, narola, and Martin Luther.ang George Oliver Or nd William Lieve Garrison all We who sdmire the great do not thereby ake ourselves partisans of Columbas. Freely admitting ail hix enormous failings, we will not lie about him; but we will do our utmost to comprehend him. We have mo quar- rel with the depreciators of the tds coverer; it is not that they belittle Columba, i is that they belittle m Columbus the unmeas ured might of the genius of man. If we are to wait for our men of daring an@ of progress till the advent of the perfect man— “That tauitiess monster which the world newer saw,” we shall wait long indeed, even if we donot postpone for ages the onward progress of man- nd. Tbe age of Columba took him as be was all full of human imperfecti fruflties but full also to overtiowing with a great idea: and with a will, a perseverance, @ coustancy and ® faith so sublime a fairly to conquer every obstacle, after a weary struggle of eaghteen years, and to carry forward bis atduous enter- prixe to triumphant success, That the grest scoverer failed as a governor and ad- ministrator makes nothing against his wertt ae a discoverer, ‘That his light at last weut down in darkness: that the world he discovered brought nothing to Spain but disappointment that dragged out@ tian fai ships, lying all for months in the torrid the West Indies, racked with absolute penury and want ate of ractating pain all cy tha almost pardon him for believing im Jen. After so much glo his life darkened down (0 ite drear His ardent soul st where wicked governme | troubling, and weary marine On the 20th of “May, by disease, anxieties "and ached forth vovuge of discovery, acrons the border of that sknown land whose boundaries are bid fr In the fine clegiae verve of Shakes peare may we say of him: “Quiet conmummation he And renowned be thy arave His place among the immortals is secure. Ry the power of the unconquerable mind. wich which nature had endowed him. be achieved fame to tmpert-hable that neither the arrows of i the shafts of envy, nor the Kggoest, — Columbus in the Cherches. Services appropriate to Columbus day were was handsomely depreciate decorated. A lecture illustrated by thy stereop- Sf) ticon was delivered by Prof. J. from | Rev. M. R. Pishburn, Rev. Dr. Sanderiand, John edited Tweedale, Mint Ruth Thompson, W. A. Croffut arrative and Critical History of | and Dr. J, a) cises, . CBickering. Bischoff took part in the exer- A Columbus day sermon was delivered by treating any period in our annals can afford Rev. J.T. Wightman, the pastor of the Mount evidence, as falling anywhere between 1435 and | t dispense with. Jt is not the fault of Mr, | Verngn Place M. E. Church South, before @ insor that he cannot sec the full greatness of mbus amid the many He ix no more to blame that his mi than Columbus is to be blamed for acting poetic temperament fully to appreciate a grea to understand or to interpret an enthusiast, THE POINT OF VIEW. & At is easy enough for the writers of the mine- teenth century to criticise the actors of the fif- and learned scholars, sitting in Iux- urious easy-chairs in great libraries, can pass swift’ and severe judgment upon the acts and the motives of Columbus. But let them back 400 years, and divest themvelves of 1] bias which the teience of today unconsciously inspires; let them quit the age of steam en- gines, telegraphs, deimooratic governments, printing presses and Sunday schools; let orient themsélves, and bscome Spani endowments, to do it; let ti thoughts, endure his triais, cherish his resolves, encounter his rebuffs, avercome his obstacles, launch out on his voyage, govern his mutinous ‘crew. encounter his pevils, deal with his savage mer the traitors in his Samp sater Sie hardships, with his ignominy of his inal ‘tment pre ge reap gets pers fod, pray bie on he daring ness in three large congregation at that Diemishes in his | 1| il admirari principle | ter | his nature and environment. As it takes a | YOUR business men | the cit: Poet. so it requires some measure of enthasiaem | mother, 901 4 arch yesterday, — Death of Mr. Mr.Patrick Fitzgerald, one of the well-known in the .soutbern section of died yesterday at the home of his street southwest. The funeral will tke place from his late residence on Mon- day and mass will be celebrated at St. Dom | nic’s Church, — + Self Protection, From Puck.