761. GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN (1826-1885) Union major general and general-in-chief of the army whose hesitation in attacking Confederate forces caused him to be sacked by Lincoln. Fine A.L.S. "Geo. B. McClellan" while Governor of New Jersey, 1p, 4to, on imprinted The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers stationery, Orange, New Jersey, but penned from "17 Gramercy Park" [in New York City], February 19, 1882. Writing to his friend and comrade "W[illia]m B[uel] Franklin", a former commander in the Army of the Potomac, now President of the National Soldiers' Home, about the cover-up of conditions at the home. McClellan, known as a "Soldier's Soldier," maintained his reputation and high respect for knowing what was right and what was wrong for his men. Obviously distressed, he candidly writes: "...Mr. Chandler Rollins has just been to see me & says that he went out to the Home with Woodfir where he found (as Woodfir acknowledged) that an effort had suddenly been made to clean things up -but that in places where the order had not been carried out the rooms were filthy as Woodfir also acknowledged. The amount of it is, I fancy, that when none of us are there things are not as clean as when we are expected. The truth is that Woodfir has too much to do, & if we do nothing else in the way of giving him help he should at least have some untitle[d] person to take immediate charge of the police of Barracks, Hospital etc. ...I suppose nothing can be done before the next meeting to increase the staff...". Although both McClellan and Franklin were members of the Board of Managers of the Soldiers' Home, they were individually dealing with distinguished careers in public life. Age-toned, otherwise in good condition. $400-500