McClellan, George B.

Handbill (10 1/8 x 3 1/8 in.; 257 x 79 mm). Some light foxing, bit of a crease and very short tear at lower margin.

The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan, ed. Sears, p. 26

Handbill (10 1/8 x 3 1/8 in.; 257 x 79 mm). Some light foxing, bit of a crease and very short tear at lower margin.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A very rare handbill from the opening months of the Civil War. The Department of the Ohio was created on 10 May 1861 by combining the forces of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. George B. McClellan, a Major General in the Ohio Volunteers was appointed to the command, and four days later he was commissioned Major General in the regular army. When news reached his headquarters of the Rebel burning of several Baltimore and Ohio railroad bridges in Virginia, he decided to invade the state and issued this proclamation to rally the many citizens of the Old Dominion still loyal to the Union. 

"Virginians! The General Government has long enough endured the machinations of a few factious rebels in your midst. Armed traitors have in vain endeavored to deter you from expressing your loyalty at the polls. Having failed in this infamous attempt to deprive you of the exercise of your dearest rights, they now seek to inaugurate a reign of terror, and thus force you to yield to their schemes and submit to the yoke of the traitorous conspiracy dignified by the name of the Southern Confederacy. They are destroying the property of citizens of your State and ruining your magnificent railways. The General Government has heretofore carefully abstained from sending troops across the Ohio, or even from posting them along its banks." But now, McClellan announces, he has ordered troops to cross the Ohio River into Virginia. He assures the people disposed towards Washington that the Union troops "come as your friends and brothers, as enemies only to the armed rebels who are preying on you." McClellan pledges to protect the rights and property of the citizenry, even vowing not to interfere with their slaves.

The proclamation concludes with a rousing appeal for the "Union Men" to "fly to arms and support the General Government, sever the connection that binds you to traitors, proclaim to the world that … you remain true to the stars and stripes." Delegates from the northwestern counties of Virigina voted against the state's Ordinance of Secession by a nearly two to one margin, and almost immediately the region called for a convention to form a new state. President Lincoln officially admitted West Virginia to the United States on 20 June 1863, having previously secured a provision in its constitution that gradually abolished slavery. Thus Virginia, which might have remained a border state with divided loyalties, became herself divided.