ke, but no enemy was overtaken, and the campaign
was at an end.

It was the first campaign; it had the appearance of success, and
McClellan, by his dispatches, gathered to himself all the glory of
it. He received the commendation of General Scott, the President,
and his Cabinet.(15)

From Beverly, July 16, 1861, McClellan issued a painfully vain,
congratulatory address to the "_Soldiers of the Army of the
West_."(16)

As early as July 21, 1861, he dispatched his wife that he did not
"feel sure that the men would fight very well under any one but
himself"; and that it was absolutely necessary for him to go in
person to the Kanawha to attack General Wise. Thus far _he had
led no troops in battle_. The Union defeat, on this date, at Bull
Run, however, turned attention to McClellan, as he alone, apparently,
had achieved success, though a success, as we have seen, mainly,
if not wholly, due to Rosecrans.

On July 22, 1861, he was summoned to Washington, and on the 24th
left his "Army of the West" to assume other and more responsible
military duties, of which we will not here speak. In dismissing
him from this narrative, I desire to say that I wrote to a friend
in July, 1861, an opinion as to the capacity and character of
McClellan as a military leader, which I have not since felt called
on to revise, and one now generally accepted by the thoughtful men
of this country. McClellan was kind and generous, but weak, and
so inordinately vain that he thought it unnecessary to accept the
judgment of men of higher attainments and stronger character. Even
now strong men shudder when they recall the fact that George B.
McClellan apparently had, for a time, in his keeping the destiny
of the Republic.

To indicate the state of his mind, and likewise the immensity of
his vanity, I here give an extract from a letter, of August 9,
1861, to his wife, leaving the reader to make his own comment and
draw his own conclusions.

"General Scott is the great obstacle. He will not comprehend the
danger. I have to fight my way against him. To-morrow the question
will probably be decided by giving me absolute control independently
of him. . . . The people call on me to save the country. _I_ must
save it, and cannot respect anything that is in the way.

"I receive letter after letter, have conversation after conversation,
calling on me to save the nation, alluding to the presidency,
dictatorship, etc. . . . _I would cheerfully take