The worst, and the womb of all evils is the Weed-Seward clique.
Around it group contractors, jobbers, shoddy, and all kinds of other
social impurities.

_b_ The ambitious, intriguing, selfish, narrow-minded West Point
clique.

_c_ The not brave, not patriotic, and freedom-hating, unintelligent
McClellan clique.

_d_ Copperheads of various hues and gradations.

Cliques _a_, _b_, and _c_, generated and fostered Copperheads, and
facilitated their expansion.

_e_ Imbeciles, lickspittles, politicians, etc.

_f_ The Lincolnites, closely intertwined with the _genus e_; the
Blair men, etc.

_g_ The partisans of Chase. This clique is the most variously and
most curiously composed. Honest imbeciles, makers of phrases,
rhetors, heavy and narrow-minded, office-hunters, office expectants,
politicians, contractors, admirers of pompousness and of would-be
radicalism, all who turn round and round, and see not beyond their
noses, etc.

Several minor cliques exist, but deserve not to be mentioned. Behind
these mud-hills rises the true people, as the Himalayas rise above
the plains of Asia.

_August 4._--Why could not Everett, that good and true patriot,
preside over our relations with Europe; or why is that thorough
American statesman, Governor Marcy, dead! How different, how
respected, how truly American would have been the character of our
relations with Europe! No prophecies, no lies would have been told,
no gross ignorance displayed!

_August 4. L. B._--In the columns of the _Times_ a friend of Halleck
tries to make a great man of the General-in-chief. Halleck
repudiates Burnside and Hooker, but claims the victory at
Gettysburgh, because Meade, being a good disciplinarian, executed
Halleck's orders. So from his room in G street Washington, Halleck
directed the repulse of the furiously attacking columns. Bravo! more
bravo as no telegraph connects Washington with Gettysburgh!

Meade being a good disciplinarian, the crime of Williamsport falls
upon Halleck; the commander-in-chief is the more responsible, as the
crime was perpetrated under his nose; about four hours' drive could
have brought him to our army, and then Halleck in person could have
directed the attack upon the enemy.

From all that transpires about Williamsport one must conclude that
Lee must have known that he would not be seriously attacked, and
that he was not much afraid of the combined disciplinarian
generalship.

Further: Halleck claims for himself