An English observer remarked that it was the "stride of a giant." The testing of battle uncovered another McClellan failing - his management of his own generals. 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. Nicknamed "Young Napoleon," "Little Mac" was immensely popular with the men who served under his command. 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. 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. Place Of Burial: Trenton, NJ. [90] McClellan's administration was marked by caution and conservatism. [90], The concluding chapter of his political career was his strong support in 1884 for Grover Cleveland. Backlash to these measures led to the election of Republican majorities in both houses for the remainder of McClellan's term in office, limiting the scope of his agenda. [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. I think Lee has made a gross mistake, and that he will be severely punished for it. He refused to give any specific details of the proposed campaign, even to his friend, newly appointed War Secretary Edwin M. Stanton. When the General came to the corner of the principal street the ladies thronged around him. McClellan's army began to sail from Alexandria on March 17. Scott rejected both plans as logistically unfeasible. allowing approximately 200,000 Black soldiers to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. 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. [54] Ethan Rafuse notes "McClellan's change of base to the James, however, thwarted Lee's attempt to do this. [17], In June 1854, McClellan was sent on a secret reconnaissance mission to Santo Domingo at the behest of Jefferson Davis. 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. [18] In March 1855, McClellan was promoted to captain and assigned to the 1st U.S. Cavalry regiment. 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. Add an answer. Yardley, Penna. George Brinton McClellan (1826-1885) - Born 3 Dec 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the Mexican War, he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant and Captain for his zeal, gallantry, and . McClellan rejected the tenets of Scott's Anaconda Plan, favoring instead an overwhelming grand battle, in the Napoleonic style. Debates were held as to whether the army should be evacuated or attempt to resume an offensive toward Richmond. 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. The New York Evening Post commented in McClellan's obituary, "Probably no soldier who did so little fighting has ever had his qualities as a commander so minutely, and we may add, so fiercely discussed. However the battle had a significant impact on McClellan's nerve. [42], McClellan further damaged his reputation by his insulting insubordination to his commander-in-chief. Basing artillery on a strategic bluff high above a bend in the river, and sinking boats to create an impassable series of obstacles in the river itself, the Confederates effectively blocked this potential approach to Richmond. He arrived near the mouth of the Rio Grande in October 1846, well prepared for action with a double-barreled shotgun, two pistols, a saber, a dress sword, and a Bowie knife. [2] His father's family was of Scottish and English heritage. But all of these opportunities were impossible, given the opposition within the administration and the knowledge that McClellan posed a potential political threat. 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. George B. McClellan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1826. . The stubborn Confederate defenses gave Lee enough time to concentrate many of his men at Sharpsburg, Maryland. In June 1862, Union soldiers could spot the steeples of Richmond off to the distance. 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 Union defeat at the minor Battle of Ball's Bluff near Leesburg in October added to the frustration and indirectly damaged McClellan. George Brinton McClellan was born in Philadelphia on December 3, 1826, the son of a prominent surgeon, Dr. George McClellan, the founder of Jefferson Medical College. He prevented the army's morale from collapsing at least twice, in the aftermath of the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. Randolph B. Marcy at Fort Smith, Arkansas, to serve as second-in-command on an expedition to discover the sources of the Red River. He told Ellen, "I will not fight for the abolitionists." [1] He performed reconnaissance missions for Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, a close friend of McClellan's father. 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. 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. He did not share his overall battle plans with his corps commanders, which prevented them from using initiative outside of their sectors. He created a false impression of many troops behind the lines and of even more troops arriving. Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside assumed command of the Army of the Potomac on November 9, 1862. A planned attack on September 16 was put off because of early morning fog, allowing Lee to prepare his defenses with an army less than half the size of McClellan's. His final words, at 3 a.m., October 29, 1885, were, "I feel easy now. George B. McClellan, Ambrose Powell Hill, Darius Nash Couch, George Edward Pickett, Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, and George Stoneman. "[79], Secretary Stanton ordered McClellan to report to Trenton, New Jersey, for further orders, although none was issued. [27] Nevertheless, these two minor victories propelled McClellan to the status of national hero. McClellan's feeling of facing overwhelming odds in subsequent campaigns throughout his tenure as General of the Army of the Potomac were strongly influenced by the overblown enemy strength estimates of his secret service chief, detective Allan Pinkerton, but in August 1861, these estimates were entirely McClellan's own. George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 - October 29, 1885) was a major general during the Civil War, famous (and notorious) for organizing and commanding the Army of the Potomac. With the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, northern civilian leaders encouraged McClellan to re-enter federal military service. George Brinton McClellan was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey. McClellan is usually ranked in the lowest tier of Civil War generals. McClellan surveyed the western portion of the northern corridor along the 47th and 49th parallels from St. Paul to the Puget Sound. The Fifth Corps under Porter from the Army of the Potomac would serve with Pope during the campaign. However, Gene Thorp in a 2012 article in The Washington Post cited evidence that the vanguard of Army of the Potomac was in motion all day on the 13th due to orders McClellan had issued the previous day. George McClellan Library of Congress Quick Facts Significance: General-in-Chief of the Union Army Place Of Birth: Philadelphia, PA Date Of Birth: December 3, 1826 Place Of Death: Orange, NJ Date Of Death: October 29, 1885 Place Of Burial: Trenton, NJ Cemetery Name: Riverview Cemetery [111], The Fire Department of New York operated a fireboat named George B. McClellan from 1904 to 1954. [113], 1864 Democratic National Convention:[114], New Jersey gubernatorial election, 1877:[115], "George McClellan" redirects here. 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. 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. 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. By war's end, about 2 million men had served in [22], At the start of the Civil War, McClellan's knowledge of what was called "big war science" and his railroad experience suggested he might excel at military logistics. CIVIL WAR UNION GENERAL GEORGE MEADE ~ J. E. McCLEES-PHILADELPHIA ~ c. - 1863 . I feel some little pride in having, with a beaten & demoralized army, defeated Lee so utterly. Cemetery Name: Riverview Cemetery. This placed him in great demand as the Union mobilized. [49] The army's advance from Fort Monroe up the Virginia Peninsula proved to be slow. He quickly realized that he had overstepped his bounds and apologized by letter to President Lincoln. These include Fort McClellan in Alabama, McClellan Butte and McClellan Peak in the state of Washington, where he traveled while conducting the Pacific Railroad Survey in 1853, and a bronze equestrian statue honoring General McClellan in Washington, D.C. Another equestrian statue honors him in front of Philadelphia City Hall, while the McClellan Gate at Arlington National Cemetery is dedicated to him and displays his name. He favored a war that would impose little impact on civilian populations and require no emancipation of slaves. [74], The Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, was the single bloodiest day in American military history. [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. For this reason, some of his Southern colleagues approached him informally about siding with the Confederacy, but he could not accept the concept of secession. "Prince John" Magruder defended the Peninsula against McClellan's advance with a vastly smaller force. After his name was unexpectedly placed into nomination at the state convention, there was a stampede and he was nominated by acclamation. With nowhere to go, Joseph Johnston's army struck ou 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. [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. 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. [75], The battle was tactically inconclusive, with the Union suffering a higher overall number of casualties, although Lee technically was defeated because he withdrew first from the battlefield and retreated back to Virginia, and lost a larger percentage of his army than McClellan did. The camp was the training grounds for recruits and a hospital for the wounded. The governor ordered McClellan to turn over his expedition logbooks, but McClellan steadfastly refused, most likely because of embarrassing personal comments that he had made throughout his adventures. Historian James M. McPherson has pointed out that the two corps McClellan kept in reserve were in fact larger than Lee's entire force. [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. Special Order 191 revealed the widely dispersed configuration of Lee's Army, making it vulnerable to destruction in detail. "[63] Lee had gambled on removing significant units from the Peninsula to attack Pope, who was beaten decisively at Second Bull Run in August. Was general george b mcclellan union or confederate? Rumors traveled through the capital that McClellan might resign, or instigate a military coup, if Scott were not removed. In the battle of Malvern Hill, he was on a gunboat, the USSGalena, which at one point was ten miles (16km) away, down the James River. 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. George McClellan was a U.S. Army engineer, railroad president and politician who served as a major general during the Civil War. In his inaugural address, he said the most urgent matter before the state was relief from the Panic of 1873. McClellan wired to Washington, "Our victory was complete. At Antietam, where there was nowhere for him to flee to, he fell into a paralysis of indecision. He chafed at the boredom of peacetime garrison service, although he greatly enjoyed the social life. He told one of his generals, "He is an able general but a very cautious one. Under the pressure of his ultimate soldier's responsibility, the will to command deserted him. Civil War CDV General McClellan and Wife . In this, McClellan was perhaps influenced by his questioning of Confederate deserter Edward B. McMurdy, whose testimony was not accepted by Lincoln, Secretary of State Seward, or General-in-Chief Scott, but reaffirmed for McClellan the numbers he had convinced himself of. [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. He learned that flanking movements (used by Scott at Cerro Gordo) are often better than frontal assaults, and the value of siege operations (Veracruz). [16], Returning to the East, McClellan began courting his future wife, Mary Ellen Marcy (18361915), the daughter of his former commander. He also wrote a manual on cavalry tactics that was based on Russian cavalry regulations. [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. McClellan's plan for a rapid seizure of Yorktown was foiled by the removal of 1st Corps from the Army of the Potomac for the defense of Washington. McClellan was called as the first witness on December 23, but he contracted typhoid fever and could not attend. 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. George McClellan: Deemed a savior, then a failure", "Facts, information and articles about George McClellan", "Milbridge Historical Society Presentation", "Joint Base Langley-Eustis McClellan Fitness Center", "Around Manhattan Island and Other Maritime Tales of New York", "Our Campaigns US President D Convention Race Aug 29, 1864", "Our Campaigns NJ Governor Race Nov 06, 1877", Report of the Secretary of War Communicating the Report of Captain George B McClellan, One of the Officers Sent to the Seat of War in Europe in 1855 and 1856, Life and Campaigns of George B. McClellan, Major-General U.S. Army, Georgia's Blue and Gray Trail McClellan timeline, Mr. Lincoln and New York: George B. 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.
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