"
"Rest assured, General," the quiet voice responded, "the heroism and
skill of yourself, officers and men, is and forever will be
appreciated."
The President returned to Washington profoundly puzzled as to his duty.
He was alarmed at the display of self esteem which his defeated General
had naively made, and his loyalty was boldly and opened questioned by
his advisers, and yet he was loath to remove him from command. Down in
his square, honest heart he felt that with all his faults, McClellan was
a man of worth, that he had never been thoroughly whipped in a single
battle and that he hadn't had a fair trial.
Any other man in power than Abraham Lincoln would have removed him
instantly on the receipt of his insolent and insulting dispatch.
Instead, the President had gone to see him with an open mind. He
returned determined to strengthen his military council by the addition
of an expert in Washington as his Commander-in-Chief.
He called to this post Henry W. Halleck. Although McClellan had waived
the crown of such power aside with lofty words of unselfish patriotism,
he received the announcement of Halleck's promotion and his
subordination with sullen rage.
"In this thing," he wrote his wife, "the President and those around him
have acted so as to make the matter as offensive as possible to me.
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