McClellan claimed he could not trust anyone in the administration to keep his plans secret from the press, and thus the enemy. Many classic histories have portrayed McClellan's army as moving lethargically, averaging only 6 miles (9.7km) a day. Civil War CDV General McClellan and Wife . McClellan never received another field command and went on to become the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee in the 1864 presidential election against the Republican Lincoln. [96] However, the debate over McClellan's ability and talents remains the subject of much controversy among Civil War and military historians. The document was verified at McClellan's headquarters in Frederick on September 13. Glendale and Malvern Hill found him at the peak of his anguish during the Seven Days, and he fled those fields to escape the responsibility. By June the expedition reached the source of the north fork of the river and Marcy named a small tributary McClellan's Creek. The surprise appearance of Maj. Gen. Stonewall Jackson's troops in the battle (when they had last been reported to be many miles away in the Shenandoah Valley) convinced McClellan that he was even more outnumbered than he had thought. The number of men McClellan was actually faced varies, with Joseph Harsh in Confederate Tide Rising placing Lee's army at 112,220 men compared with the 105,857 under McClellan. Relations between the two generals became increasingly strained over the summer and fall. Old ladies and men wept for joy, and scores of beautiful ladies waved flags from the balconies of houses upon the street, and their joyousness seemed to overcome every other emotion. Admirable self-denial! $35.00 + $5.00 shipping . Such a villain as he is ought to bring defeat upon any cause that employs him. [87], In March 1877 the Governor of New York, Lucius Robinson, nominated McClellan to serve as the first state Superintendent of Public Works,[88] but the New York State Senate rejected him as "incompetent for the position". [1], 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. [17], In June 1854, McClellan was sent on a secret reconnaissance mission to Santo Domingo at the behest of Jefferson Davis. The outnumbered Confederate forces fought desperately and well. This placed him in great demand as the Union mobilized. Despite being a tactical draw, Antietam is considered a turning point of the war and a victory for the Union because it ended Lee's strategic campaign (his first invasion of the North) and it allowed President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, taking effect on January 1, 1863. And he was far too willing to accept cautious advice about saving his reserves, such as when a significant breakthrough in the center of the Confederate line could have been exploited, but Fitz John Porter is said to have told McClellan, "Remember, General, I command the last reserve of the last Army of the Republic."[76]. McClellan was an interesting man, full of both strengths and weaknesses. Seen from a longer perspective, General McClellan could be both comfortable and successful performing as executive officer, and also, if somewhat less successfully, as grand strategist; as battlefield commander, however, he was simply in the wrong profession. But although McClellan was meticulous in his planning and preparations, these characteristics are largely viewed as making him an ineffective battlefield commander, and he has been criticized frequently leaving . This put him in opposition with officials of the administration who believed he was attempting to implement the policies of the opposition party. [78] 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. He traveled by special train on the main Pennsylvania line from Wheeling through Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and on to Washington City, and was greeted by enthusiastic crowds that met his train along the way. Lincoln's Cabinet met on October 18 and agreed to accept Scott's resignation for reasons of health.[41]. Unlike some of his fellow Union officers who came from abolitionist families, he was opposed to federal interference with slavery. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. [23], On May 3 McClellan re-entered federal service as commander of the Department of the Ohio, responsible for the defense of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and, later, western Pennsylvania, western Virginia, and Missouri. [84] Prior to his return in September 1868, the Democratic Party had expressed some interest in nominating him for president again, but Ulysses S. Grant became the Republican candidate in May 1868, and this interest died. It was the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. Will send you trophies. However, he died before it was half completed and his literary executor, William C. Prime, editor of the pro-McClellan New York Journal of Commerce, included excerpts from some 250 of McClellan's wartime letters to his wife, in which it had been his habit to reveal his innermost feelings and opinions in unbridled fashion. When Ulysses S. Grant became general-in-chief, he discussed returning McClellan to an unspecified position. Nicknamed "Young Napoleon," "Little Mac" was immensely popular with the men who served under his command. In the fall of 1861 McClellan launched a small-scale invasion of western . George Brinton McClellan (1826-1885) - Born 3 Dec 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The testing of battle uncovered another McClellan failing - his management of his own generals. The Union victory and Lincoln's proclamation played a considerable role in dissuading the governments of France and Britain from recognizing the Confederacy; some suspected they were planning to do so in the aftermath of another Union defeat. Early in the conflict, McClellan was appointed to the rank of major general and played an important role in raising a well-trained and disciplined army, which would become the Army of the Potomac in the Eastern Theater; he served a brief period (November 1861 to March 1862) as Commanding General of the United States Army of the Union Army. [102] His original draft was completed in 1881, but the only copy was destroyed by fire. In his inaugural address, he said the most urgent matter before the state was relief from the Panic of 1873. There is no man in the Army who can man these fortifications and lick these troops of ours into shape half as well as he. [1], McClellan's first assignment was with a company of engineers formed at West Point, but he quickly received orders to sail for the Mexican War. Add an answer. Dec 3, 1826 - Oct 29, 1885. His army is in a very demoralized and chaotic condition, and will not be prepared for offensive operationsor he will not think it sofor three or four weeks. Ellen, or Nelly, refused McClellan's first proposal of marriage, one of nine that she received from a variety of suitors, including his West Point friend, A. P. Hill. McClellan immediately replied with a 22-page letter objecting in detail to the president's plan and advocating instead his Urbanna plan, which was the first written instance of the plan's details being presented to the president. "If I save this army now, I tell you plainly I owe no thanks to you or to any other persons in Washington. [111], The Fire Department of New York operated a fireboat named George B. McClellan from 1904 to 1954. By war's end, about 2 million men had served in Steven R. Stotelmyer in Too Useful to Sacrifice places it at about 60,000 men, noting that the 87,000 number includes non-combat soldiers and units not immediately available. George B. McClellan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1826. . In so doing, he missed three greatly superior passes in the near vicinity, which were eventually used for railroads and interstate highways. After the defeat of Pope at Second Bull Run, President Lincoln reluctantly returned to the man who had mended a broken army before. Under the pressure of his ultimate soldier's responsibility, the will to command deserted him. [109], Several geographic features and establishments have been named for George B. McClellan. Two more crises would confront McClellan before he could implement his plans. [32] He reveled in his newly acquired power and influence:[30]. Like other observers, though, McClellan did not appreciate the importance of the emergence of rifled muskets in the Crimean War, and the fundamental changes in warfare tactics it would require.[19]. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Civil War General George B. McClellan (Union Army) Original Signature on Cover at the best online prices at eBay! "[40] Scott became so disillusioned with the young general that he offered his resignation to President Lincoln, who initially refused to accept it. With nowhere to go, Joseph Johnston's army struck ou On September 2, 1862, Lincoln named McClellan to command "the fortifications of Washington, and all the troops for the defense of the capital". Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside assumed command of the Army of the Potomac on November 9, 1862. McClellan resigned his commission January 16, 1857, and, capitalizing on his experience with railroad assessment, became chief engineer and vice president of the Illinois Central Railroad, and then president of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad in 1860. "Notwithstanding all that has been said by the traitors to induce you to believe that our advent among you will be signalized by interference with your slaves, understand one thing clearlynot only will we abstain from all such interference but we will on the contrary with an iron hand, crush any attempted insurrection on their part." However . On March 11, 1862, Lincoln removed McClellan as general-in-chief, leaving him in command of only the Army of the Potomac, ostensibly so that McClellan would be free to devote all his attention to the move on Richmond. McClellan was removed from command in November in the aftermath of the 1862 midterm elections. McClellan, not wishing to abandon his campaign, delayed the return of the Army of the Potomac from the Peninsula enough so that the reinforcements arrived while the northern Virginia campaign was already underway. On March 8, doubting McClellan's resolve, Lincoln again interfered with the army commander's prerogatives. The names are legendary: Thomas . It was a remarkable achievement, in which he came to personify the Army of the Potomac and reaped the adulation of his men. [7], At West Point, he was an energetic and ambitious cadet, deeply interested in the teachings of Dennis Hart Mahan and the theoretical strategic principles of Antoine-Henri Jomini. 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. McClellan Park in Milbridge, Maine, was donated to the town by the general's son with the stipulation that it be named for the general. Although McClellan's subordinates can claim their share of responsibility for delays (such as Ambrose Burnside's misadventures at Burnside Bridge) and blunders (Edwin V. Sumner's attack without reconnaissance), these were localized problems from which the full army could have recovered. [103], Robert E. Lee, on being asked (by his cousin, and recorded by his son) who was the ablest general on the Union side during the late war, replied emphatically: "McClellan, by all odds! Lincoln, Stanton, and a group of officers who formed the "War Board" directed the strategic actions of the Union armies that spring. As noted by historians such as Stotelmyer, the significance of the Union victory at South Mountain should not be underestimated. About 10 miles away from the capitol of the Confederacy, George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac was within striking distance of ending the year old Civil War. Although Lincoln believed his plan was superior, he was relieved that McClellan finally agreed to begin moving, and reluctantly approved. I graduated second in my class at West Point in 1846. Appointed in 1861 by Ohio Governor William Dennison, West Point graduate George Brinton McClellan quickly rose from retired captain to major general in the Union army. So it was that George McClellan imagined three Rebel soldiers for every one he faced on the Antietam battlefield. George B. McClellan (1826-1885) 1826, Dec. 3 Born, Philadelphia, Pa. Well, one of these days history will I trust do me justice. As he quickly implemented plans to invade the region, he triggered his first serious political controversy by proclaiming to the citizens there that his forces had no intentions of interfering with personal propertyincluding slaves. Lincoln's share of the vote in the Army of the Potomac was 70%. When he discovered that the Confederates had fortified a line across the Peninsula he hesitated to attack and instead played it safe. [80], McClellan was nominated by the Democrats to run against Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 U.S. presidential election. [90], The concluding chapter of his political career was his strong support in 1884 for Grover Cleveland. Gen. John Gibbon, and said, "Here is a paper with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home." McClellan was unable to command the army personally because of a recurrence of malarial fever, but his subordinates were able to repel the attacks. The class of '46 contributed 20 generals to the Union and Confederate armies. [42], McClellan further damaged his reputation by his insulting insubordination to his commander-in-chief. He claimed to have defeated an attempt at vote fraud by Republicans by ordering the delay of a train that was carrying men to vote illegally in another county, enabling Douglas to win the county. [29], After the defeat of the Union forces at Bull Run on July 21, 1861, Lincoln summoned McClellan from western Virginia, where McClellan had given the North the only engagements bearing a semblance of victory. McClellan ordered his units to set out for the South Mountain passes and was able to punch through the defended passes that separated them from Lee. [90], Soon after taking office, McClellan fell out of favor with the State Senate over appointments and patronage. [8] He graduated at age 19 in 1846, second in his class of 59 cadets, losing the top position to Charles Seaforth Stewart only because of inferior drawing skills. [70] Within hours of receiving the order, McClellan dispatched some of his cavalry to assess whether The Confederates had moved in accordance with the order. In June 1862, Union soldiers could spot the steeples of Richmond off to the distance. George B. McClellan. Although Lincoln had intended to issue the proclamation earlier, he was advised by his Cabinet to wait until a Union victory to avoid the perception that it was issued out of desperation. [108] Proponents of this school claim that McClellan is criticized more for his admittedly abrasive personality than for his actual field performance. [28] The New York Herald entitled an article about him "Gen. McClellan, the Napoleon of the Present War". McClellan is usually ranked in the lowest tier of Civil War generals. He also was not helped by the party's choice for vice president, George H. Pendleton, a peace candidate from Ohio. His nomination was largely an effort by key party members to prevent the leading candidate, Leon Abbett, from gaining the nomination. McClellan's antipathy to emancipation added to the pressure on him, as he received bitter criticism from Radical Republicans in the government. I have to fight my way against him. George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. Congress's joint committee visited the abandoned Confederate lines and radical Republicans introduced a resolution demanding the dismissal of McClellan, but it was narrowly defeated by a parliamentary maneuver. Many historians argue that he was talented in this aspect. Initially, McClellan was somewhat successful against General Joseph E. Johnston, but the emergence of General Robert E. Lee to command the Army of Northern Virginia turned the subsequent Seven Days Battles into a Union defeat. Marcy, Randolph B, assisted by McClellan, George B., This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 16:49. The president expressed his concern about the "vast labor" involved in the dual role of army commander and general-in-chief, but McClellan responded, "I can do it all. [4] The couple had five children: Frederica, John, George, Arthur and Mary. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 58 at Orange, New Jersey, after suffering from chest pains for a few weeks. [83], At the conclusion of the war (1865) McClellan and his family went to Europe, not returning until 1868; in this period he did not participate in politics. Scott (as well as many in the War Department) was outraged that McClellan refused to divulge any details about his strategic planning, or even such basic information as the strengths and dispositions of his units. Then, however, McClellan came under extreme criticism in the press and Congress when it was learned that Johnston's forces had not only slipped away unnoticed, but had for months fooled the Union Army with logs painted black to appear as cannons, nicknamed Quaker Guns. They expressed their confidence to varying degrees. In. To that end, he advocated for cautious spending to allow for a state tax cut of fifty percent; by the end of McClellan's term, the state tax on residents was abolished entirely. [90] McClellan's administration was marked by caution and conservatism. Thank you." He reported to Washington that he faced 200,000 Confederates, perhaps due to a false report on the arrival of another Confederate army P.G.T. His final words, at 3 a.m., October 29, 1885, were, "I feel easy now. In the Mexican War, he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant and Captain for his zeal, gallantry, and . I was born on December 3rd, 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He began to write another draft of what would be published posthumously, in 1887, as McClellan's Own Story. At age 34, he outranked everyone in the Army except Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, the general-in-chief. As Lee recounted, McClellan was attempting to make "this a battle of posts" which would lock the Confederate army in an attritional battle with superior Union firepower. With the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, northern civilian leaders encouraged McClellan to re-enter federal military service. I was appointed to the staff of General Winfield Scott during the Mexican War (1846-48). A graduate of West Point, McClellan served with distinction during the MexicanAmerican War (18461848), and later left the Army to serve as an executive and engineer on railroads until the outbreak of the American Civil War (18611865). But McClellan was also tacitly acknowledging that he would no longer be able to invest Richmond, the object of his campaign; the heavy siege artillery required would be almost impossible to transport without the railroad connections available from his original supply base on the York River. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union. In fact, the general-in-chief position was left unfilled. He accomplished this by marching small groups of men repeatedly past places where they could be observed at a distance or were just out of sight, accompanied by great noise and fanfare. In a telegram to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, reporting on these events, McClellan blamed the Lincoln administration for his reversals. [34] The Army of the Potomac grew in number from 50,000 in July to 168,000 in November, becoming the largest military force the United States had raised until that time. [77] McClellan had no prior knowledge that the plans for emancipation rested on his battle performance. He served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881; he eventually became a writer, and vigorously defended his Civil War conduct. The Battle of Williamsburg on May 5 is considered a Union victoryMcClellan's firstbut the Confederate army was not destroyed and most of their troops were successfully moved past Williamsburg to Richmond's outer defenses while the battle was waged and for several days thereafter. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for CIVIL WAR GENERAL GEORGE B. McCLELLAN & WIFE ~ c. - 1863 at the best online prices at eBay! I feel I have done all that can be asked in twice saving the country. His administration stressed the necessity of education in the conversion of unskilled labor to skilled labor and in industrial development generally by expanding the state library and calling for trades training for young men in public schools, as suited for the local economy. Upon realizing the intelligence value of this discovery, McClellan threw up his arms and exclaimed, "Now I know what to do!" With the assistance of his father's letter to President John Tyler, McClellan was accepted at the United States Military Academy in 1842 at the age of 15, with the academy waiving its usual minimum age of 16. Date Of Death: October 29, 1885. Johnston was wounded in the battle, and General Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. [71], Still, historians including James M. McPherson in Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam and The Battle Cry of Freedom, Stephen Sears in Landscape Turned Red, John Keegan in The American Civil War, and James V. Murfin in The Gleam of Bayonets have provided clear evidence that McClellan, despite his expressed joy upon being given the order, delayed by some 18 hours before reacting to the intelligence coup, resulting in Lee's being able to elude the late-arriving Union forces, and this remains the standard view. He also received an assignment to the Department of Texas, with orders to perform a survey of Texas rivers and harbors. On August 8, believing that the Confederacy had over 100,000 troops facing him (in contrast to the 35,000 they had actually deployed at Bull Run a few weeks earlier), he declared a state of emergency in the capital. [47] The second crisis was the emergence of the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia, which threw Washington into a panic and made naval support operations on the James River seem problematic. Template:Otherpeople2 George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 - October 29, 1885) was a major general during the American Civil War. When the public heard about the Galena, it was yet another great embarrassment, comparable to the Quaker Guns at Manassas. On November 1, 1861, Winfield Scott retired and McClellan became general-in-chief of all the Union armies. Beginning in 1872, he also served as the president of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. McClellan spent the next three weeks repositioning his troops and waiting for promised reinforcements. He was very popular with his men, despite having a number of serious shortcomings as a commander. During the summer and fall, McClellan brought a high degree of organization to his new army, and greatly improved its morale with frequent trips to review and encourage his units. The stubborn Confederate defenses gave Lee enough time to concentrate many of his men at Sharpsburg, Maryland. Editorial cartoons published in the course of the 1864 presidential campaign lampooned McClellan for having preferred the safety of a ship while a battle was fought in the distance. The opposing battle lines on the heights were marked by heavier layers of smoke, and columns of Federal troops were visible winding their way up the mountainside, each column looking like a 'monstrous, crawling, blue-black snake' McClellan posed against this spectacular backdrop, sitting motionless astride his warhorse Dan Webster with his arm extended, pointing Hooker's passing troops toward the battle. Both passed the legislature in 1878 and 1880, respectively. He favored a war that would impose little impact on civilian populations and require no emancipation of slaves. [18] In March 1855, McClellan was promoted to captain and assigned to the 1st U.S. Cavalry regiment. Randolph B. Marcy at Fort Smith, Arkansas, to serve as second-in-command on an expedition to discover the sources of the Red River. [30], 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. "[79], Secretary Stanton ordered McClellan to report to Trenton, New Jersey, for further orders, although none was issued. [44], On January 10, 1862, Lincoln met with top generals (McClellan did not attend) and directed them to formulate a plan of attack, expressing his exasperation with General McClellan with the following remark: "If General McClellan does not want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time. It was an armada that dwarfed all previous American expeditions, transporting 121,500 men, 44 artillery batteries, 1,150 wagons, over 15,000 horses, and tons of equipment and supplies. [51], McClellan had also placed hopes on a simultaneous naval approach to Richmond via the James River. He proposed that his army should be expanded to 273,000 men and 600 guns and "crush the rebels in one campaign". 109 ], McClellan had no prior knowledge that the Confederates had fortified a line across the he. These events, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized for. 'S resolve, Lincoln again interfered with the outbreak of the army northern. Of another Confederate army P.G.T for every one he faced 200,000 Confederates, perhaps due a... Could not trust anyone in the administration to keep his plans to Captain and assigned to Quaker. Shortcomings as a commander the only copy was destroyed by fire, Lincoln again interfered with the state was from! Burnside assumed command of the opposition party i was born on December 3rd, -... For reasons of health. [ 41 ] he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant Captain! Claimed he could implement his plans secret from the press, and General E.! As a commander from Ohio three weeks repositioning his troops and waiting promised. 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