(From a daguerreotype taken in 1846, just before leaving for the front)
Lieut. McClellan, His Father and His Brother Arthur.

Copyright, 1917, by
Princeton University Press

Published April, 1917

During the past four or five years I have beenpreparing a life of General McClellan in whichI plan especially to stress the political influencesbehind the military operations of the first twoyears of the Civil War. The main source for mystudy has been the large collection of “McClellanPapers” in the Library of Congress at Washington,most of which hitherto never has been published.In this collection is the manuscriptMexican War diary and by the courteous permissionand kind cooperation of General McClellan’sson, Professor George B. McClellan ofPrinceton University, I have been able to makethe following copy. I desire to thank ProfessorMcClellan for other valuable help, includingthe use of the daguerreotype from which theaccompanying frontispiece was made. My thanksalso are due Professor Dana C. Munro for histimely advice and valued assistance in the preparationof the manuscript for the press. Themap is reproduced from the “Life and Lettersof General George Gordon Meade,” with thekind permission of the publishers, Charles Scribner’sSons.

[iv]It has seemed to me that this diary shouldprove to be of special value at the present time,for it throws additional light upon the failure ofour time honored “volunteer system” and forecastsits utter futility as an adequate defense ina time of national crisis or danger.

Wm. Starr Myers.

Princeton, N. J.
January 3, 1917.