Chapter 690: America Has Its Own National Conditions

"General McClellan, please be aware of your words. So far, the federal government has provided more than $4 million in military spending for Omaha's troops."

Astor, who came from the second giant in New York, spoke less aggressively than Stevens, but his words were sharper.

"How can you say that our soldiers are not trained enough, supply shortages, and weapons and equipment are worrying? Did the money allocated to you by the federal government not be implemented? Did you use it for him?"

Astor's hat was buckled off, scaring McClellan to sweat coldly and his spine became cold. I thought I was thinking where the $4 million spent was spent, don’t you know yet?

The federal government has indeed granted $4 million in military expenditure to the Western Front troops, and most of this military expenditure is indeed in the hands of the Western Front troops. McClellan does not deny this.

But I, the United States has its own national conditions. Given the capitalist system with American characteristics, the logistics system of the American military is not perfect, and the American government has never had the experience and ability to provide logistics supplies to nearly 200,000 troops before.

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As the civil war broke out and the military expanded rapidly, the federal government was unable to quickly establish an efficient logistics supply chain. Therefore, the Northern Army is now very dependent on private contractors to provide food, clothing, weapons, ammunition and transportation services to the army.

Although the federal government granted the military expenditure of the Northern Army on the Western Front was 4 million, it seems a lot, but in fact, this 4 million US dollars can generate 2.2 million US dollars in purchasing power.

McClellan wanted to greet the whole family of these insects present. The market wholesale price of the best Boston Flour is $51 per ton, and the purchase price after bidding is $112 per ton.

The price of a pound of high-quality coffee on the market is about 22 cents, and the purchase price given by the military designated high-quality supplier is 57 cents per pound. There are countless such things.

Not to mention that these materials are basically purchased from the east, and these materials are transported from the east to Omaha, and transportation companies and railway companies have to intervene. The transportation costs are naturally amazing.

"I don't care about your equipment, nor do I care about your training!" Livingston interjected, his tone of speaking was very impatient, "General McClellan, you are a soldier, I think you know, now we need it urgently. A victory brings our people! The pressure on Washington is getting bigger and bigger, and the calls in the political arena are shaking. You can’t delay any more!”

McClellan's hands were clenched into fists, and his clenched fists turned white. If these guys weren't the people he could not provoke easily now, McClellan would have wanted to beat them up now. He tried hard to convince him to stay calm and restrained.

"Mr. Livingston, you said it lightly, but can you understand the fear of the soldiers on the front line? Can you understand what the young people facing life and death feel after every order is issued?

What they are facing now is a well-equipped, well-trained modern army, not an Indian tribe!

Yes, we need victory, I admit. But winning from the Westerners is not easy. ”

Livingston stood straight, his eyes were bright and his attitude was still very stubborn. Obviously, McClellan's words did not touch him, and he had no resonance at all.

"Fear? McClellan! You are a soldier. Didn't you train for this moment? If you can't even bear this little sacrifice, what's the point of taxpayers supporting you? I'm really ashamed of your cowardice. ”

McClellan took a deep breath, endless disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"Mr. Livingston. War is not a simple game. I have to remind you that if we attack lightly, the Westerners' army will likely destroy our fragile fronts and the whole battle situation will be reversed instantly. If our army sticks to Omaha , we still have hope of staying unbeaten." McClellan still maintains tolerance.

"We have enough soldiers, but these young men still have insufficient training and experience. Now we are taking the initiative to let these young men die. We are not facing one of the troops of the Westerners, but facing the entire western world. Elite."

"Excuses! These are all excuses! McClellan, if you dare not take responsibility and continue to cringe like a turtle, history will remember that you are a cowardly and incompetent general, and you will always be nailed to the pillar of shame! "Aster's words were more intense, and their aggression and lethality were stronger than Livingston.

"You're right." McClellan's voice was getting lower and lower. "I understand what retreat means. But please understand that I cannot exchange countless innocent lives as political chips. Please come back, You have no right to command the army, I only follow the orders of Washington."

Only following the orders of Washington was McClellan's last stubbornness. He hoped that Lincoln and his cabinet would still have a clear mind and could withstand the pressure for him.

Astor looked at McClellan coldly and sneered, "What you mean is that as long as you receive an order from Washington, you will definitely execute it?"

"Of course, I am loyal to Your Excellency the President and I am responsible to Your Excellency the President." McClellan responded.

At this moment, Lincoln's situation is not much better than McClellan, and it can even be said to be worse.

Washington, shrouded in the night, did not sink into silence, but was ignited by anger, with noise, curses, and shouts intertwined.

Pennsylvania Avenue was crowded with people, and the streets were crowded with protesters. The men in Washington clenched their fists and waved newspapers. The ink on the newspapers had not yet dried, but they had been torn into pieces and blown away by the wind. Women stood behind the crowd, hugged their children nervously, and cried softly.

Some people angrily knocked on the pot lids, and some people lit torches and held them high in the air, illuminating the night in Washington.

"We lost! We actually lost!" A well-dressed middle-aged businessman shouted angrily, his face flushed with excitement, "These politicians said that the war would end in three months? It's only been a month now! The barbarians in the South are about to break into Washington! They are liars! All liars!"

The failed federal government that occurred in Fort Sumter and Kearny Fort Group in South Carolina can still use the Spring and Autumn style to fool the public, and the funeral is a happy one.

But they could not do so in the humiliating defeat in Manassas, 30 kilometers away, because some of the deserters who fled from Manassas even ran into Washington.

This is a fact that cannot be covered up no matter what. Almost all Washingtonians know that their army has failed, and it is a miserable defeat that they cannot accept.

"And Lincoln! He is the biggest liar!"

"Yes! We should not have elected this Illinois country lawyer!"

"The government must give us an explanation! Lincoln must give us an explanation!" A young craftsman waved his arms and his voice was hoarse, "We pay taxes, we donate money, we send our sons to the battlefield! But now? What do they bring back to us? Deserters! Failure! Shame!"

"Are our federal troops scared?" An old soldier in a ragged coat stood in the crowd. His left leg was lost in the last Mexican-American War. The old soldier asked sharply.

"Will the barbarians from the South attack Washington tomorrow? Will Lincoln wait until the artillery fire reaches the White House before he wakes up?"

The anger of the crowd gathered into a roaring torrent on the street, constantly surging towards the presidential palace. Some people smashed their angry fists on the gate of the White House, some threw stones into the walls of the White House, and even soldiers mixed in the crowd and shouted: "Let the government give us a victory!"

The guards in front of the White House tried to disperse the crowd, but were immediately pushed to the ground by angry citizens, and even their hats rolled to the side. More guards began to gather, but their eyes showed uneasiness-this is Washington, the heart of the federal government!

And now, even their hearts are surrounded by fear and anger, and there is no order in the past.

"Fight back! Fight back!"

"The government must give us a victory!"

Someone else shouted in the crowd.

Behind the curtains of the White House President's Office, Abraham Lincoln looked at the crowd in the square in silence. His face was hidden in the dim candlelight.

He seemed to be able to see the messy battlefield of Manassas through the crowd.

The defeat of Manassas was not only a military defeat - it was also the beginning of the collapse of the federal confidence. For the first time, the people of the North really realized that this war would not be easily won in a few months as some congressmen said.

"They don't understand..." Lincoln muttered to himself in a low voice, his slender fingers tapping the table unconsciously, "The army needs time, the country needs patience, and the people need more patience."

Secretary of State Seward, who was under the same roof, had a gloomy face, as if he had just been doused with cold water.

"Time?"

Seward muttered in a low voice: "I'm afraid we don't have much time. Robert Lee will not give us time, and Liang Yao will not give us time. These federal traitors are really damned. Those incompetent generals and soldiers on the front line are even more damned!"

"We have given them so much power and raised so much money for them, but they still can't win! They should all be sent to military courts for trial!" Federal Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase said bitterly.

In order to raise the military funds needed for the 200,000-man army, his spine was almost broken by the Northerners, but he didn't expect that none of the federal troops on the east and west fronts were useful at the critical moment, and all of them failed.

Presidential secretary Nicholas walked into the room quickly and whispered to Lincoln in a serious tone: "Sir, Congress is also in an uproar, and many members are demanding more radical actions. They hope you will appoint a new commander-in-chief - a commander who can win the victory for the Union, and they also ask..."

"What else do they ask for? Nicholas, say it out loud!" Lincoln's thin face was shrouded in the shadows of candlelight and night, and his eyes were as calm as water, making it difficult to understand.