 McClellan devoted his final years to traveling and writing; he produced his memoirs, "McClellan's Own Story" (published posthumously in 1887), in which he stridently defended his conduct during the war.He died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 58 at Orange, New Jersey, after suffering from chest pains for a few weeks.His final words, at 3 a.m., October 29, 1885, were, "I feel easy now.