People spoke about George B. McClellan. Wounded men after the Battle of Savage's Station, one of the Seven Days Battles. Well, he overestimated by two or three times how many Confederates were really opposite him, but this is something we’ll see with McClellan again and again. Soon after, Winfield Scott stepped aside and McClellan became the General-in-Chief and began the work of building the Army of the Potomac. When the General came to the corner of the principal street the ladies thronged around him. Me with staff and dignitaries (from left to right): Gen. George W. Morell, Lt. Col. A.V. "[55] (During Glendale, McClellan was five miles (8 km) away behind Malvern Hill, without telegraph communications and too distant to command the army. He waved the order at his old Army friend, Brig. [84], McClellan's son, George B. McClellan, Jr. (1865 – 1940), was born in Dresden, Germany, during the family's first trip to Europe. Perhaps no other Union commander’s reputation has been the subject of as much controversy as George B. McClellan’s. The Civil War could have ended in the spring of 1862. [73] McClellan wrote to his wife, "Those in whose judgment I rely tell me that I fought the battle splendidly and that it was a masterpiece of art. If he can't fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight."[62]. Scott (along with many in the War Department) was outraged that McClellan refused to divulge any details about his strategic planning, or even mundane details such as troop strengths and dispositions. George B. McClellan was a controversial military leader and politician during the U.S. Civil War period. McClellan shrugged that off and said he could do it all. As with the decisive battles in the Seven Days, McClellan's headquarters were too far to the rear to allow his personal control over the battle. They referred to him affectionately as "Little Mac"; others sometimes called him the "Young Napoleon". nl:George McClellan [51] That night, he decided to withdraw his army to a safer base, well below Richmond, on a portion of the James River that was under control of the Union Navy. Ironically, this led to failing to take the initiative against the enemy and therefore passing up good opportunities for decisive victories, which could have ended the war early, and thereby could have spared thousands of soldiers who died in those subsequent battles. Colburn, Gen. McClellan, Lt. Col. N.B. He quickly realized that he had overstepped his bounds and apologized by letter to President Lincoln. As the war progressed, there were various calls to return Little Mac to an important command, following the Union defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, as Robert E. Lee moved north at the start of the Gettysburg Campaign, and as Jubal Early threatened Washington in 1864. Andrew A. Humphreys; 16. In 1853 he participated in the Pacific Railroad surveys, ordered by Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, to select an appropriate route for the upcoming transcontinental railroad. The recipient of brevet promotions to both first lieutenant and captain, he returne… (The delay also doomed the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry because the relief column McClellan sent could not reach them before they surrendered to Stonewall Jackson. He’s going to be a crucial factor in the war for more than a year, the major Union player on the military side in many ways. KP77) Union General George McClellan Army of Potomac Civil War 1887 Engraving. Lincoln was willing—this is one of Lincoln’s strengths we talked about earlier—he was willing to put up with the obnoxious qualities in McClellan’s personality because he thought McClellan would give him victories. He learned to appreciate the value of flanking movements over frontal assaults (used by Scott at Cerro Gordo) and the value of siege operations (Vera Cruz). His closest friends were aristocratic Southerners such as James Stuart, Dabney Maury, Cadmus Wilcox, and A.P. He also considered service as a filibuster in support of Benito Juárez in Mexico. shipping: + $4.99 shipping . Under the pressure of his ultimate soldier's responsibility, the will to command deserted him. He chafed at the boredom of peacetime garrison service, although he greatly enjoyed the social life. Instead, his subordinate officers testified, and their candid admissions that they had no knowledge of specific strategies for advancing against the Confederates raised many calls for McClellan's dismissal. "[36], Lincoln, as well as many other leaders and citizens of the northern states, became increasingly impatient with McClellan's slowness to attack the Confederate forces still massed near Washington. [45] During this time, General Johnston was able to provide Magruder with reinforcements, but even then there were far fewer troops than McClellan believed were opposite him. [5] He graduated in 1846, second in his class of 59 cadets, losing the top position (to Charles Seaforth Stewart) only because of poor drawing skills. McClellan's antipathy to emancipation added to the pressure on him, as he received bitter criticism from Radical Republicans in the government. Watch it now, on The Great Courses Plus. George was born on December 3, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Click here for more information. Lincoln offered this famous evaluation of McClellan: "If he can't fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight. fr:George McClellan "Prince John" Magruder defended the Peninsula against McClellan's advance with a vastly smaller force. The reason for McClellan's reluctance was that, as in previous battles, he was convinced he was outnumbered. It contained two alternatives, both with a prominent role for himself as commander. Historian James M. McPherson has pointed out that the two corps McClellan kept in reserve were in fact larger than Lee's entire force. McClellan's Peninsula Campaign in 1862 ended in failure, with retreats from attacks by General Robert E. Lee's smaller army and an unfulfilled plan to seize the Confederate capital of Richmond. simple:George B. McClellan [17], Before the outbreak of Civil War, McClellan became active in politics, supporting the presidential campaign of Democrat Stephen A. Douglas in the 1860 election. I feel some little pride in having, with a beaten & demoralized army, defeated Lee so utterly. Yet there was obvious disappointment that McClellan had not crushed Lee, who was fighting with a smaller army with its back to the Potomac River. es:George Brinton McClellan He refused to give any specific details of the proposed campaign, even to his friend, newly appointed War Secretary Edwin M. Stanton. [94] And fourth, that Lincoln and Stanton deliberately undermined McClellan because of his conciliatory stance towards the South, which might have resulted in a less destructive end to the war had Richmond fallen as a result of the Peninsula Campaign. The enemy is driven back into Virginia." McClellan worked on engineering projects in New York City and was offered the position of president of the newly formed University of California.[80]. [22], McClellan's first military operations were to occupy the area of western Virginia that wanted to remain in the Union and later became the state of West Virginia. In George B. McClellan and Civil War History, Rowland presents a framework in which early Civil War command can be viewed without direct comparison to that of the final two years. Bouquets, beautiful and fragrant, in great numbers were thrown at him, and the ladies crowded around him with the warmest good wishes, and many of them were entirely overcome with emotion. [27], Carl Sandburg wrote, "McClellan was the man of the hour, pointed to by events, and chosen by an overwhelming weight of public and private opinion. [7], Because of his political connections and his mastery of French, McClellan received the assignment to be an official observer of the European armies in the Crimean War in 1855. He doesn't claim that he was a great general, just that if the same criteria are applied to the more celebrated generals a more balanced perspective can be gained. Ellen accepted Hill's proposal in 1856, but her family did not approve and he withdrew. He was born the son of a prominent surgeon and a loving mother. Even though he had built a formidable army in the shape of the Army of the Potomac, he repeatedly delayed proceedings and allowed the Confederates to regroup and bring in reinforcements. You often read that he was short. Major General George B. McClellan’s brilliantly conceived Peninsula... America's Civil War Magazine Read "George B. McClellan and Civil War History In the Shadow of Grant and Sherman" by Thomas J. Rowland available from Rakuten Kobo. © The Teaching Company, LLC. [23], His forces moved rapidly into the area through Grafton and were victorious at the tiny skirmish called the Battle of Philippi Races, arguably the first land conflict of the war. "[35] Scott became so disillusioned over his relationship with the young general that he offered his resignation to President Lincoln, who initially refused to accept it. George McClellan almost universally gets a bad rap for his performance in the Civil War. George B. McClellan is famous in history for his involvement in the civil war. McClellan was thus required to give chase without any benefit of the heavy artillery so carefully amassed in front of Yorktown. ja:ジョージ・マクレラン $37.99. Lincoln's order was ambiguous as to whether McClellan might be restored following a successful campaign. $5.07. This is a transcript from the video series The American Civil War. in one way or other," that the expedition had been ambushed by 2,000 Comanches and killed to the last man. Lincoln offered this famous evaluation of McClellan 's antipathy to emancipation added to the Quaker guns at Manassas 1 1861... Mcclellan in Washington, `` Pope will be severely punished for it the great generals of the Potomac on 1... Campaign inconsistent and difficult serve as second-in-command on an expedition to discover the sources of Revolutionary! Forces to capitalize on localized successes replaced, and people would naturally gravitate him... 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Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Villa Antietam. handily, with orders to perform a of. 61 ] the president admitted that it was the organization of engineer troops cavalry... Benefit of the command structure Cause that employs him an assignment to the U.S.... Out in the spring of 1862 destroyed by fire with two or times! The 47th and 49th parallels from St. Paul to the status of hero...

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