Give Us Back Our Old Commander. (Illustraded Ballad).

5 Stanza ballad with chorus. The ballad was written by Septimus Winner in 1862 who was then arrested for treason. He wrote the song after General George B. McClellan was discharged as commander of the Army by President Lincoln. There was considerable popular support for McClellan. Winner was released from arrest when he agreed to destroy all remaining copies of the song. It resurfaced in 1864 when McClellan was a candidate for the presidency. An example - 4th stanza; "Congressmen may plain and twaddle * How the fighting should be done; * Bull-Run taught THEM to skedaddle, * Ely took too slow a run, * Editors, our men of wisdom! * Lay the plan for Richmond's fall: * Greeley knows just how McClellan * Could have bag'd the rebels all." Chorus - "Give us back our old commander, * Let him manage, let him plan; * With McClellan as our leader, * We can wish no better man."