One of McClellan's great-grandfathers was Samuel McClellan of Woodstock, Connecticut, a brigadier general who served during the Revolutionary War. In the Mexican War, he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant and Captain for his zeal, gallantry, and . The controversy was not that his proclamation was diametrically opposed to the administration's policy at the time, but that he was so bold in stepping beyond his strictly military role. 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. 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. A brilliant engineer and a great organizer, McClellan created the Army of the Potomac, the Union's . 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. 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]. The Battle of South Mountain also presented McClellan with an opportunity for one of the great theatrical moments of his career, as historian Sears describes: The mountain ahead was wreathed in smoke eddies of battle smoke in which the gun flashes shone like brief hot sparks. He refused to give any specific details of the proposed campaign, even to his friend, newly appointed War Secretary Edwin M. Stanton. Place Of Burial: Trenton, NJ. The first would use 80,000 men to invade Virginia through the Kanawha Valley toward Richmond. McClellan was removed from command in November in the aftermath of the 1862 midterm elections. "[15] After his name was unexpectedly placed into nomination at the state convention, there was a stampede and he was nominated by acclamation. He telegraphed President Lincoln: "I have the whole rebel force in front of me, but I am confident, and no time shall be lost. A sensational story had reached the press that the expedition had been ambushed by 2,000 Comanches and killed to the last man. "[41], 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. In June 1862, Union soldiers could spot the steeples of Richmond off to the distance. The names are legendary: Thomas . It ruined Lee's plans to invade Pennsylvania and took the initiative away from the Confederate commander. He witnessed Scott's success in balancing political with military affairs and his good relations with the civil population as he invaded, enforcing strict discipline on his soldiers to minimize damage to property. (The information was not used until 1870 when President Ulysses S. Grant unsuccessfully attempted to annex the Dominican Republic.) [110] Camp McClellan, in Davenport, IA, is a former Union Army camp established in August 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War. 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. He established a supply base on the Pamunkey River (a navigable tributary of the York River) at White House Landing where the Richmond and York River Railroad extending to Richmond crossed, and commandeered the railroad, transporting steam locomotives and rolling stock to the site by barge.[53]. In doing so, Lee had assumed that the Union army would withdraw to the east toward its existing supply base and McClellan's move to the south delayed Lee's response for at least 24 hours. Malaria would recur in later years; he called it his "Mexican disease. He and his family then embarked on another three-year stay in Europe (187375). [91] Few concrete measures passed and those that did, such as the abolition of the state tax and improvements to the National Guard, were widely popular. 2012) "In defense of McClellan at Antietam: A contrarian view", Commanding General of the United States Army, Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Mexican War Diary of George B. McClellan, Manual of Bayonet Exercise, Prepared for the Use of the Army of the United States, The Report of Captain George B. McClellan, One of the Officers Sent to the Seat of War in Europe, in 1855 and 1856, The Armies of Europe, Comprising Descriptions in Detail of the Military Systems of England, France, Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sardinia, European Cavalry, Including Details of the Organization of the Cavalry Service Among the Principal Nations of Europe, Exploration of the Red River of Louisiana in the Year 1852, Regulations and Instructions for the Field Service of the U.S. Cavalry in Time of War, McClellan's Own Story: The War for the Union, The Soldiers Who Fought It, The Civilians Who Directed It and His Relations to It and to Them, The Life, Campaigns, and Public Services of General George B McClellan, The Democratic Platform, General McClellan's Letter of Acceptance, The Army of the Potomac, General McClellan's Report of Its Operations While Under His Command, Report of Major General George B McClellan, Upon the Organization of the Army of the Potomac and Its campaigns in Virginia and Maryland, Letter of the Secretary of War by George Brinton McClellan, West Point Battle Monument, History of the Project to the Dedication of the Site, List of American Civil War generals (Union), "This week in history: McClellan becomes the Army's commanding general", "Civil War Gen. 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McClellan, Harper's Weekly political cartoon, October 27, 1877, "All Quiet on the Hudson", McClellan caricature in the campaign for governor of New Jersey, McClellan's May 30th, 1885 Decoration Day Oration, New Jersey Governor George Brinton McClellan, American Heritage on George McClellan's appointment, Newspaper articles about reaction to Lincoln appointing McClellan head of the Army of the Potomac, Unsuccessful major party candidates for President of the United States, United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, National Democratic Redistricting Committee, List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials, List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic, Confederate artworks in the United States Capitol, List of Confederate monuments and memorials, Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. Dec 3, 1826 - Oct 29, 1885. I was born on December 3rd, 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George Brinton Mcclellan Jr, McClellan, George B. McClellan, George B. [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. Cemetery Name: Riverview Cemetery. McClellan was forced to repudiate the platform, which made his campaign inconsistent and difficult. [57] Military historian Stephen W. Sears wrote, "When he deserted his army on the Glendale and Malvern Hill battlefields during the Seven Days, he was guilty of dereliction of duty. The armies struggled to a . It became standard issue for as long as the U.S. horse cavalry existed and is still used for ceremonies. [99], There is indeed ample evidence that the terrible stresses of commanding men in battle, especially the beloved men of his beloved Army of the Potomac, left his moral courage in tatters. 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. [90][91], In the general election, he faced William A. Newell, a Republican former governor who accused McClellan of living in New York, which he easily refuted. Many classic histories have portrayed McClellan's army as moving lethargically, averaging only 6 miles (9.7km) a day. [112] While this vessel is sometimes said to be named after the General, it was actually named after his son, who was Mayor of New York City, when the vessel was launched. The stubborn Confederate defenses gave Lee enough time to concentrate many of his men at Sharpsburg, Maryland. First, McClellan proponents say that because the general was a conservative Democrat with great personal charisma, radical Republicans fearing his political potential deliberately undermined his field operations. Both passed the legislature in 1878 and 1880, respectively. McClellan was called as the first witness on December 23, but he contracted typhoid fever and could not attend. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union. 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. Upon his return to the United States in 1856, he requested an assignment in Philadelphia to prepare his report, which contained a critical analysis of the siege and a lengthy description of the organization of the European armies. McClellan won the election by a large majority and Democrats gained a majority in both houses of the New Jersey legislature for the first time since 1870. Randolph B. Marcy at Fort Smith, Arkansas, to serve as second-in-command on an expedition to discover the sources of the Red River. Two more crises would confront McClellan before he could implement his plans. Thank you." He also received an assignment to the Department of Texas, with orders to perform a survey of Texas rivers and harbors. Marcy, Randolph B, assisted by McClellan, George B., This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 16:49. The camp was the training grounds for recruits and a hospital for the wounded. Because McClellan failed to pursue Lee aggressively after Antietam, Lincoln ordered that he be removed from command on November 5, 1862. [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". [86], McClellan was appointed chief engineer of the New York City Department of Docks in 1870. I attended the University of Pennsylvania and then went on to study at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He performed well in both jobs, expanding the Illinois Central toward New Orleans and helping the Ohio and Mississippi recover from the Panic of 1857. In his inaugural address, he said the most urgent matter before the state was relief from the Panic of 1873. Bailey, Ronald H., and the Editors of Time-Life Books. [6] After two years at the university, he changed his goal to military service. His subordinate commander, William S. Rosecrans, bitterly complained that his attack was not reinforced as McClellan had agreed. Her father was of English origin, while her mother was Pennsylvania Dutch. 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. [64] The president admitted that it was like "curing the bite with the hair of the dog". It was a scene which no one could forgetan event of a lifetime. However . McClellan Fitness Center is a United States Army gym located at Fort Eustis, Virginia near his Peninsula Campaign. In the fall of 1852, McClellan published a manual on bayonet tactics that he had translated from the original French. George B. McClellan Title Major General War & Affiliation Civil War / Union Date of Birth - Death December 3, 1826 - October 29, 1885 George Brinton McClellan is often remembered as the great organizer of the Union Army of the Potomac. Gen. John Gibbon, and said, "Here is a paper with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home." I almost think that were I to win some small success now I could become Dictator or anything else that might please mebut nothing of that kind would please metherefore I won't be Dictator. [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! Despite significant advantages in manpower, McClellan was unable to concentrate his forces effectively, which meant that Lee was able to shift his defenders to parry each of three Union thrusts, launched separately and sequentially against the Confederate left, center, and finally the right. Davis, Jefferson, and McClellan, George B. Leigh, Philip "Lee's Lost Dispatch and Other Civil War Controversies". Although he complimented McClellan and expressed his "great confidence in your intelligence, zeal, science, and energy", he replied by letter that the 80,000 men would be better used on a river-based expedition to control the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy, accompanied by a strong Union blockade of Southern ports. He was buried at Riverview Cemetery in Trenton.[92]. With the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, northern civilian leaders encouraged McClellan to re-enter federal military service. "[69], At the discovery of the Lost Order, McClellan's Assistant Adjutant General verified the signature and handwriting of the officer who wrote out the order, as he knew him well, so there was no doubt as to its authenticity. He began to write another draft of what would be published posthumously, in 1887, as McClellan's Own Story. In March 1852, he was ordered to report to Capt. As the war progressed, there were various calls to return McClellan 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. Lincoln, Stanton, and a group of officers who formed the "War Board" directed the strategic actions of the Union armies that spring. 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! 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. Lincoln's share of the vote in the Army of the Potomac was 70%. By June the expedition reached the source of the north fork of the river and Marcy named a small tributary McClellan's Creek. McClellan would leave two corps behind to defend Washington. McClellan was thus required to give chase without any benefit of the heavy artillery so carefully amassed in front of Yorktown. CIVIL WAR UNION GENERAL GEORGE MEADE ~ J. E. McCLEES-PHILADELPHIA ~ c. - 1863 . McClellan's pursuit began on September 5. Upon graduation, George McClellan was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. He created a false impression of many troops behind the lines and of even more troops arriving. The War Department was reluctant to publish his report because, just after completing it in October 1863, McClellan openly declared his entrance to the political stage as a Democrat. 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]. 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. [1] He performed reconnaissance missions for Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, a close friend of McClellan's father. See more George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician. George B. McClellan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1826. . "[58] In the battle of Glendale, McClellan was five miles (8km) away behind Malvern Hill, without telegraph communications and too distant to command his army. During his administration, two companies were equipped with Gatling guns, a new battalion was organized, regular rifle practice was instituted, and provisions were made to supply new uniforms. In the course of a disagreement about defensive forces on the Potomac River, McClellan wrote to his wife on August 10: "Genl Scott is the great obstaclehe will not comprehend the danger & is either a traitor, or an incompetent. His final words, at 3 a.m., October 29, 1885, were, "I feel easy now. Gen. George B. McClellan, his wife, infant daughter, nurse, and mother-in-law at his headquarters near Alexandria, Va.Courtesy Brian C. Pohanka, Alexandria, VA. After the disastrous Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run the same month, McClellan was placed in command of what was to become the Army of the Potomac. (1826-1885), Civil War general.McClellan was born to a wealthy family in Philadelphia; at the age of fiftee Union Army, The Union army grew steadily throughout the war, from 186,751 in July 1861 to 1,000,516 in May 1865. McClellan asked for the opinion of his chief engineer John G. Barnard, who recommended against an assault. 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. 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. McClellan had hoped to use the 1st Corps to capture Glouchester Point and thus outflank the Confederate position. 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. In. I have never witnessed such a scene. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly (November 1861 to March 1862) as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Civil War CDV General McClellan and Wife . 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. McClellan is usually ranked in the lowest tier of Civil War generals. [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. George B. McClellan (1826-1885) 1826, Dec. 3 Born, Philadelphia, Pa. Johnston was wounded in the battle, and General Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia. 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. [66], Lee divided his forces into multiple columns, spread apart widely as he moved into Maryland and also maneuvered to capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. McClellan continued to believe intelligence reports that credited the Confederates with two or three times the men they actually had. "[31] On July 26, the day he reached the capital, McClellan was appointed commander of the Military Division of the Potomac, the main Union force responsible for the defense of Washington. [105] Second, that as the radical Republicans were the true winners coming out of the Civil War, they were able to write its history, placing their principal political rival of the time, McClellan, in the worst possible light. 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. Lincoln's Cabinet met on October 18 and agreed to accept Scott's resignation for reasons of health.[41]. [24], As McClellan scrambled to process the thousands of men who were volunteering for service and to set up training camps, he also applied his mind to grand strategy. I have all the plans of the rebels, and will catch them in their own trap if my men are equal to the emergency. [106] Third, that historians eager to jump on the bandwagon of Lincoln as America's greatest political icon worked to outdo one another in shifting blame for early military failures from Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton to McClellan. 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. Northern fears of a continued offensive by Robert E. Lee were realized when he launched his Maryland campaign on September 4, hoping to arouse pro-Southern sympathy in the slave state of Maryland. [111], The Fire Department of New York operated a fireboat named George B. McClellan from 1904 to 1954. McClellan's antipathy to emancipation added to the pressure on him, as he received bitter criticism from Radical Republicans in the government. McClellan returned to West Point to command his engineering company, which was attached to the academy for the purpose of training cadets in engineering activities. But he made no secret of his opposition to the Radical Republicans. McClellan worked for months on a lengthy report describing his two major campaigns and his successes in organizing the Army, replying to his critics and justifying his actions by accusing the administration of undercutting him and denying him necessary reinforcements. Not only did McClellan's decision allow the Federals to gain control of the time and place for the battles that took place in late June and early July, it enabled them to fight in a way that inflicted terrible beating on the Confederate army.More importantly, by the end of the Seven Days Battles, McClellan had dramatically improved his operational situation."[55].
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