By delaying the Union army for almost a month, the Confederates had obtained valuable time to assemble and organize the forces that eventually beat McClellan back from the gates of Richmond and thwarted the Union's Peninsula Campaign. After his name was unexpectedly placed into nomination at the state convention, there was a stampede and he was nominated by acclamation. Upon graduation, George McClellan was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. In the Mexican War, he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant and Captain for his zeal, gallantry, and . McClellan's rapid promotion was partly due to his acquaintance with Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary and former Ohio governor and senator. [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. A major contributing factor in this decision was McClellan's failure to pursue Lee's army following the tactically inconclusive but strategic Union victory at the Battle of Antietam outside Sharpsburg, Maryland. [90], McClellan also applied his military experience to improve the discipline, organization, and armament of the New Jersey National Guard. 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. 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. "[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. I graduated second in my class at West Point in 1846. However the battle had a significant impact on McClellan's nerve. The stubborn Confederate defenses gave Lee enough time to concentrate many of his men at Sharpsburg, Maryland. As Swinton notes "It is possible, howeverand there is a considerable volume of evidence bearing upon this pointthat General McClellan, during all the earlier portion of the month before Yorktown, had it in his mind, even without McDowell's corps, to undertake the decisive turning movement by the north side of the York. With nowhere to go, Joseph Johnston's army struck ou [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. 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. [16], Returning to the East, McClellan began courting his future wife, Mary Ellen Marcy (18361915), the daughter of his former commander. On January 27, Lincoln issued an order that required all of his armies to begin offensive operations by February 22, Washington's birthday. 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. "[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. The General had his head uncovered, and received gracefully the salutations of the people. [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. Both passed the legislature in 1878 and 1880, respectively. It was the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. McClellan Fitness Center is a United States Army gym located at Fort Eustis, Virginia near his Peninsula Campaign. In, Rowland, Thomas J. 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. The Fifth Corps under Porter from the Army of the Potomac would serve with Pope during the campaign. The armies struggled to a . During the Utah War against the Mormons, he considered rejoining the Army. His final words, at 3 a.m., October 29, 1885, were, "I feel easy now. That approach failed following the Union Navy's defeat at the Battle of Drewry's Bluff, about 7 miles (11km) downstream from the Confederate capital, on May 15. An English observer remarked that it was the "stride of a giant". He proposed that his army should be expanded to 273,000 men and 600 guns and "crush the rebels in one campaign". Will send you trophies. That fall, for example, Confederate forces ranged from 35,000 to 60,000, whereas the Army of the Potomac in September numbered 122,000 men; in early December 170,000; by year end, 192,000. Such a villain as he is ought to bring defeat upon any cause that employs him. [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. At the end of June, Lee began a series of attacks that became known as the Seven Days Battles. [109], Several geographic features and establishments have been named for George B. McClellan. For other people with the same name, see, "Little Napoleon" redirects here. 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. The governors of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, the three largest states of the Union, actively pursued him to command their states' militia. [97] McClellan himself summed up his style of warfare in a draft of his memoirs: It has always been my opinion that the true course in conducting military operations, is to make no movement until the preparations are as complete as circumstances permit, & never to fight a battle without some definite object worth the probable loss. in one way or other. Marcy, Randolph B, assisted by McClellan, George B., This page was last edited on 12 January 2023, at 16:49. As noted by historians such as Stotelmyer, the significance of the Union victory at South Mountain should not be underestimated. 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. In March 1852, he was ordered to report to Capt. The Union defeat at the minor Battle of Ball's Bluff near Leesburg in October added to the frustration and indirectly damaged McClellan. You have done your best to sacrifice this army. McClellan had hoped to use the 1st Corps to capture Glouchester Point and thus outflank the Confederate position. Despite his successes and lucrative salary ($10,000 per year), he was frustrated with civilian employment and continued to study classical military strategy assiduously. 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. 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. On November 1, 1861, Winfield Scott retired and McClellan became general-in-chief of all the Union armies. He sought the position of Secretary of War in Cleveland's cabinet, but Senator John R. McPherson, who had opposed McClellan for governor in 1877, succeeded in blocking his nomination. On September 2, 1862, Lincoln named McClellan to command "the fortifications of Washington, and all the troops for the defense of the capital". In. In his inaugural address, he said the most urgent matter before the state was relief from the Panic of 1873. 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. I have all the plans of the rebels, and will catch them in their own trap if my men are equal to the emergency. [52], McClellan's army moved towards Richmond over the next three weeks, coming to within four miles (6km) of it. He quickly realized that he had overstepped his bounds and apologized by letter to President Lincoln. Yardley, Penna. Her father was of English origin, while her mother was Pennsylvania Dutch. 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. [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. McClellan was removed from his command of Ohio volunteer armies in less than six months, becoming the Union army's leader. At Antietam, where there was nowhere for him to flee to, he fell into a paralysis of indecision. 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. 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. Nicknamed "Young Napoleon," "Little Mac" was immensely popular with the men who served under his command. George B. McClellan and Mary Ellen Marcy (Nelly) McClellan 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. Lincoln, Stanton, and a group of officers who formed the "War Board" directed the strategic actions of the Union armies that spring. The appointment was controversial in the Cabinet, a majority of whom signed a petition declaring to the president "our deliberate opinion that, at this time, it is not safe to entrust to Major General McClellan the command of any Army of the United States". 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. "[15] He complained that he had arrived too late to take any part in the American victory at Monterrey in September. This plan, which would require considerable patience of the Northern public, was derided in newspapers as the Anaconda Plan, but eventually proved to be the outline of the successful prosecution of the war. [81], The deep division in the party, the unity of the Republicans (running under the label "National Union Party"), the absence of a large portion of the Democrats' base (the South) from the voter pool, and the military successes by Union forces in the fall of 1864, doomed McClellan's candidacy. "[79], Secretary Stanton ordered McClellan to report to Trenton, New Jersey, for further orders, although none was issued. . The names are legendary: Thomas . He was very popular with his men, despite having a number of serious shortcomings as a commander. McClellan's son, George B. McClellan Jr. (18651940), was born in Dresden in the Kingdom of Saxony during the family's first trip to Europe. McClellan attended the University of Pennsylvania for two years, and then transferred to West Point at age 15. Beauregard. At age 34, he outranked everyone in the Army except Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, the general-in-chief. 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! [72] After the war, McClellan held to the claim that he acted immediately to put his armies on the move.[71]. 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. But he made no secret of his opposition to the Radical Republicans. Well, one of these days history will I trust do me justice. This put him in opposition with officials of the administration who believed he was attempting to implement the policies of the opposition party. Free shipping for many products! George B. McClellan, portrait by Mathew Brady, 1861. 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. 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. He marched toward Maryland with six of his reorganized corps. This was a risky move for a smaller army, but Lee was counting on his knowledge of McClellan's temperament. When the public heard about the Galena, it was yet another great embarrassment, comparable to the Quaker Guns at Manassas. 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. However, historians note that Lee's victory was in many ways pyrrhic as he failed to destroy the Army of the Potomac and suffered a bloody repulse at Malvern Hill. [1] He performed reconnaissance missions for Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, a close friend of McClellan's father. When the General came to the corner of the principal street the ladies thronged around him. [25], McClellan's first military operations were to occupy the area of western Virginia that wanted to remain in the Union and subsequently became the state of West Virginia. He attended the University of Pennsylvania but . His nomination was largely an effort by key party members to prevent the leading candidate, Leon Abbett, from gaining the nomination. 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 organized and led the Union army in the Peninsula Campaign in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862. He also received an assignment to the Department of Texas, with orders to perform a survey of Texas rivers and harbors. Under the pressure of his ultimate soldier's responsibility, the will to command deserted him. Thank you." Unlike some of his fellow Union officers who came from abolitionist families, he was opposed to federal interference with slavery. George McClellan was a U.S. Army engineer, railroad president and politician who served as a major general during the Civil War. [86], McClellan was appointed chief engineer of the New York City Department of Docks in 1870. 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