george mcclellan significance

The Democrats embraced slavery, and McClellan had never wanted to see slavery interfered with (Some writers have suggested he deliberately held back from delivering a killing blow so the North would have to negotiate terms with the South to end the war, but this is unlikely), so ideologically he was acceptable to them. McClellan resigned his commission in 1857 to become chief of engineering for the Illinois Central Railroad and, in 1860, president of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. Lincoln believed McClellan was needed in that time of chaos because of his organizational skills. He was in charge. The McClellan saddle was a riding saddle designed by George B. McClellan, after his tour of Europe as the member of a military commission charged with studying the latest developments in engineer and cavalry forces including field equipment. 42 likes. Report broken link His family had been in America since its founding and he was the great-grandson of the Revolutionary War general, Samuel McClellan. Union General George B. McClellan was compelled to retreat from the fringes of Richmond by … He thought Lincoln could do much more to help, including blocking communication between the North and South. This placed him in great demand as the Union mobilized. Nothing but their fear will induce them to give me any command of importance or to treat me otherwise than with discourtesy….”. "I get a lot of mail from servicemen who have lost an arm or a leg. George McClellan Summary: George McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. 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. But he was overly cautious and seemed reluctant to pursue the enemy. "George McClellan: The Young Napoleon" is one of the best biographies I have read in awhile. On August 7, Halleck pleaded, “I must beg of you, general, to hurry along this movement….” In an August 10 telegram, the general-in-chief again urged quick action: “The enemy is crossing the Rapidan in large force….There must be no further delay in your movements” and asked Little Mac to explain his delay. As Pope attacked Jackson on the morning of August 29, McClellan reported that Franklin’s corps was finally in motion, adding: “Meagher’s brigade [part of Sumner’s corps] is still at Aquia. Halleck put McClellan in charge of sending troops out from Alexandria, not realizing that Franklin’s corps had not yet marched. Major General George B. McClellans candid letters to his wife and peevish ex­changes with Union Army General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck during the Second Bull Run Campaign chronicle the Army of the Potomac commanders disingenuousnessand also underscore his shocking unwillingness to support a fellow Federal officer in peril. Neither Franklin nor Sumner’s corps is now in condition to move and fight a battle. The next day he gloated in a letter to Mary Ellen: “I believe I have triumphed! . USA Today, September 18, 2003, 21A. While the problems Porter encountered as he marched to join Pope resulted in no serious harm to his command, the same could not be said of what happened to George Taylor’s brigade on August 27. I only ask a prompt decision that I may at once give the necessary orders. From the outset, McClellan complained to the War Department that he lacked adequate weapons and ammunition for his department but at the same time conceived grandiose schemes that included marching through Kentucky to capture Nashville, capital of Tennessee. George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey. That same morning Halleck gave him the first of six direct orders to move some of his own troops toward the scene of the expected battle. George McClellan is lid van Facebook. The movement is still under your control in either direction, though now under progress, as stated.”, At 7:50 p.m. on August 29, an angry Halleck wired McClellan: “I have just been told that Franklin’s corps stopped at Annandale, and that he was this evening in Alexandria. Based on his observations, McClellan proposed a design that was adopted by the Army in 1859. 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. UPDATE: Check out Ethan Rafuse’s response at the end of this article! Ed Bonekemper, author of McClellan and Failure, teaches at Muhlenberg College. Photograph by Alexander Gardner. But Jackson’s force launched a surprise attack on the Union troops in the Battle of Brawner’s Farm on August 28, a small fight that would draw Pope into a larger battle on Lee’s terms. He was educated at the University of Pen… That Halleck unwisely gave him discretion on the matter at a critical moment is to Halleck’s discredit; and given that Halleck’s appointment—indeed, the whole lousy situation in August 1862—was Lincoln’s call, to the president’s discredit as well. George Brinton McClellan is often remembered as the great organizer of the Union Army of the Potomac. No middle course will now answer. If a truly fair assessment is to be made of McClellan’s conduct (warts and all) a more comprehensive understanding of the factors at work must be provided than what is offered in Bonekemper’s essay. By July 13 the Confederate forces there were defeated, and McClellan had established a reputation as the “Young Napoleon of the West.”. Many know these two to have been great Civil War generals. At that point Halleck realized a merger of McClellan and Pope’s armies was imperative. The War Democrats were committed wholesale to George Brinton McClellan, the former general–in–chief of the Union armies. Upon reaching Alexandria on August 27 McClellan was well aware of what his superiors wanted, and unquestionably dragged his feet on complying. Lee had sent “Stonewall” Jackson’s Wing to the northwest, where it tangled with and defeated a portion of Pope’s army at Cedar Mountain on August 9. Halleck reasoned, “You are 30 miles from Richmond and General Pope 80 or 90, with the enemy directly between you, ready to fall with his superior numbers upon one or the other, as he may elect.” McClellan’s own inflated estimates of Confederate strength were now working against him. Halleck then took matters into his own hands, wiring Franklin at 12:40 p.m. “to move with your corps to-day toward Manassas Junction, to drive the enemy from the railroad.” A defiant McClellan responded to Halleck 20 minutes later that “The moment Franklin can be started with a reasonable amount of artillery he shall go.” At 3:30 Halleck wired him back, “Not a moment must be lost in pushing as large a force as possible toward Manassas, so as to communicate with Pope before the enemy is re-enforced.”, McClellan still did not budge. McClellan requested the order be rescinded and asked to be reinforced, adding, “If my counsel does not prevail I will with a sad heart obey your orders to the utmost of my power….” The next day Halleck responded that the order would not be rescinded, and on the 6th told McClellan, “I have no re-enforcements to send you.” That same day Halleck also wrote: “You, general, certainly could not have been more pained at receiving my order than I was at the necessity of issuing it,” then added that with “200,000” troops between McClellan’s 90,000 and Pope’s 40,000, Lee posed a serious risk. As would be demonstrated by Ulysses S. Grant’s operations in 1864-65, the James River really was the best line of operations for the Union army in Virginia. Corrections? George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey.A graduate of West Point, McClellan served with distinction during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), and later left the Army to work on railroads until the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861–1865). If he moves in support of Franklin, it leaves us without any reliable troops in and near Washington. McClellan could have been there to help Pope, but he deliberately failed him. That afternoon McClellan sent a barrage of telegrams stating why he could not or should not do as ordered. McClellan, in command of Federal forces in southern Ohio, advanced on his own initiative in the early summer of 1861 into western Virginia with about 20,000 men. . While fighting flared at Brawner’s Farm that evening (August 28), the situation deteriorated. McClellan had been an irritant from the beginning. Primary Sources George McClellan. The Johnston’s sacrifice allowed for General Douglas MacArthur to retake the Philippines... Homepage Featured Top Stories, Homepage Hero. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-B-McClellan, Ohio History Central - Biography of George B. McClellan, Texas State Historical Association - The Handbook of Texas Online - Biography of George Brinton McClellan, Encyclopedia Virginia - Biography of George B. McClellan, History Learning Site - Biography of George McClellan, United States History - Biography of George B. McClellan, Spartacus Educational - Biography of George McClellan, George B. McClellan - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Antietam, Battle of: Lincoln and McClellan meet in the general's tent. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It was a controversial war that bitterly divided American public opinion. Halleck found McClellan far less responsive. General U.S. Grant even returned runaways in Tennessee who supported the Union as late as early 1862. McClellan did his usual brilliant job of organizing and the Army of the Potomac was ready to go after Lee in Sept. 1862 in response to Lee's invasion of Maryland. George is a Mexican historical girl puppy/chupacabra. By August 20, McClellan had finally reached Fort Monroe. View the profiles of people named George McClellan. In 1846 he graduated second in his class from West Point. The army was renamed the Army of the Potomac. In the fall of 1861 McClellan launched a small-scale invasion of western Virginia from his base in Ohio and enjoyed early successes at Philippi and Rich Mountain, which made his early reputation. George McClellan was a Union General in the American Civil War. Battle of Antietam, also called Battle of Sharpsburg, (September 17, 1862), in the American Civil War (1861–65), a decisive engagement that halted the Confederate invasion of Maryland, an advance that was regarded as one of the greatest Confederate threats to Washington, D.C. The Battle of Antietam, in which Lee’s army might have been crushed with its back to the Potomac, ended as a crimson stalemate. "George McClellan: The Young Napoleon" is one of the best biographies I have read in awhile. At 6 p.m. on the 27th, McClellan reported to Halleck that he had received a copy of Pope’s 10 a.m. wire to Halleck requesting all forces be sent to Pope’s right, northwest of Manassas. Given that McClellan’s perceived enemies were Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and Halleck, his statement—as well as his plan to disobey his orders—seemingly bordered on treason. In 1846 he graduated second in his class from West Point. The third child of Dr. George McClellan and Elizabeth Brinton, McClellan briefly attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1840 before leaving to pursue legal studies. Though McClellan explained to Mary Ellen that he was reluctantly giving up his plan to attack Richmond, he gleefully anticipated having the last laugh: “I think the result of their machinations will be that Pope will be badly thrashed within two days & that they will be very glad to turn over the redemption of their affairs to me.” McClellan was hoping for a Union defeat. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Although a states’ rights Democrat, he was nevertheless a staunch Unionist, and, a month after the outbreak of the American Civil War (April 1861), he was commissioned in the regular army and placed in command of the Department of the Ohio with responsibility for holding western Virginia. 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