GENERAL ORDERS No.
19.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE
ARMY,
Washington, November
1, 1861.
In accordance with General Orders, No. 94, from the War Department, I hereby assume command of the Armies of the United States. In the
midst of the difficulties which encompass and divide the nation, hesitation and
self-distrust may well accompany the assumption of so vast a responsibility;
but confiding as I do in the loyalty, discipline, and courage of our troops,
and believing as I do that Providence will favor ours as the just cause, I
cannot doubt that success will crown our efforts and sacrifices.
The Army will unite with me in the feeling of regret that
the weight of many years and the effect of increasing infirmities, contracted
and intensified in his country's service, should just now remove from our head the
great soldier of our nation – the hero who in his youth raised high the
reputation of his country on the fields of Canada, which he hallowed with his
blood; who in more mature years proved to the world that American skill and
valor could repeat if not eclipse the exploits of Cortez in the land of the
Montezumas; whose whole life has been devoted to the service of his country;
whose whole efforts have been directed to uphold our honor at the smallest
sacrifice of life – a warrior who scorned the selfish glories of the
battle-field when his great qualities as a statesman could be employed more
profitably for his country; a citizen who in his declining years has given to
the world the most shining instance of loyalty, in disregarding all ties of
birth and clinging still to the cause of truth and honor. Such has been the
career, such the character, of Winfield Scott, whom it has long been the
delight of the nation to honor both as a man and a soldier. While we regret his
loss, there is one thing we cannot regret – the bright example he has left for
our emulation. Let us all hope and pray that his declining years may be passed
in peace and happiness, and that they may be cheered by the success of the
country and the cause he has fought for and loved so well. Beyond all that, let
us do nothing that can cause him to blush for us; let no defeat of the Army he
has so long commanded embitter his last years, but let our victories illuminate
the close of a life so grand.
GEO. B. McCLELLAN,
Major-General, Commanding U.S. Army.
SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series III, Volume 1,
Part 2 (Serial No. 122), p. 613-4
No comments:
Post a Comment