L.  THOMAS,
[Signed. J  Adjutant  General.
To  McDowell  he  wrote :

While  cooperating  with  General  McClellan,  you  obey  his
orders,  except  that  you  are  to  judge,  and  are  not  to  allow  your
force  to  be  disposed  otherwise  than  so  as  to  give  the  greatest
protection  to  this  capital.
This  came  from  the  President's  anxiety  for  the
protection  of  Washington.  He  could,  however,  have
secured  precisely  that  same  protection  by  giving  his
instructions  directly  to  McClellan.  Mr.  Lincoln  evi-
dently had  begun  to  distrust  McClellan;  if  so,  it  was
not  wisdom  to  keep  him  in  command  and  at  the  same
time  plainly  show  distrust  by  telling  a  corps  com-
mander to  obey  his  orders  or  not,  according  to  that
commander's  judgment.
I  am  not  surprised  at  McClelland  grievous  com-
plaint. "  I  may  confess/'  he  said,  "  to  have  been
shocked  at  this  order  which,  with  that  of  the  31st  ul-
timo, removed  nearly  60,000  men  from  my  command
and  reduced  my  force  by  more  than  one-third  after  its
task  had  been  assigned,  its  operations  planned,  and  its

200


The  Peninsular  Campaign  Begun

fighting  begun.  ...  It  compelled  the  adoption  of  an-
other, a  different  and  a  less  effective  plan  of  cam-
paign." To  this  statement  his  officers  agreed  and  still
agree.  It  was  a  heavy  blow,  and  with  one  constituted
like  McClellan  it  was  so  crippling  and  disappointing  as
to  render  subsequent  operations  on  his  part  less  bril-
liant and  decisive.
