was mcclellan a good general

He was a competent general who could have won the Civil War for the North. I think you better break the enemys line from Yorktown to Warwick River at once., At the time, though, McClellan had only about 58,000 soldiers, since many of his troops were either awaiting embarkation back in Washington or still in transit. All shared one common characteristic - it was the bloodiest and most shocking battle any of the combatants had yet seen. The troops were poorly fed and uniformed, which contributed to long sick lists. When Grant was called east to fight Robert E. Lee, Sherman led his army of rough westerners through the heartland of Georgia and up through the Carolinas. It entangled itself with nearly everything about this war. As commander of the Union armies early in the American Civil War, he is often credited as a significant factor in his opponents successes. George McClellan Summary: George McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. Two of the ugly were Union General Benjamin Butler and the Confederacys John B. Floyd. 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. Some 23,000 men were casualties; most of them killed or wounded, in a single day. Lincoln and Stanton, meanwhile, failed to take advantage of the newly weakened Confederate fronts. But MacArthur's strategy certainly helped unleash 300,000 Chinese "volunteers" who inflicted significant casualties on United Nations forces. McClellan had about 60,000 effectives on hand. Because after the victory at Gettysburg he did not chases Lees army south even though he had been ordered to do so by President Lincoln. Without cannons, the Federals were sitting ducks and lost a quarter of their men before they could escape. However, Lee crushed General Pope at Second Bull Run or Manassas. McClellan acquired such a good reputation that the Illinois Central Railroad hired him in 1857 as its chief engineer. Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good onesand America is no exception. There was great irony in Lincolns decision for he hoped that McClellan and the army would serve as a tool to not only turn back the Confederate tide, but to provide the opportunity for a war-changing measure. If he could check McClellan and the Federals withdrew, then operations could be maintained on the Confederate frontier north of the Potomac and pressure continued on the North. For millions of Americans, the names of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are instantly recognizable. Any chance for a negotiated settlement that preserved slavery had gone up in the smoke and flame of Antietam. He fought Union forces in West Virginia and had to call off an attack in the face of fierce Union resistance at Cheat Mountain. All day on September 15 the Army of the Potomac poured over South Mountain and massed around Keedysville. The problem was that unlike good generals, he was an incompetent in combat. The alternative was to split the United States asunder. As Lincoln well knew, the only way the Union could lose the war was if the North eventually grew tired and agreed to allow the South to secede. The terms good and bad are in the context of military skill. A few days later, Lincoln named General Ambrose Burnside to be the commander of the. What was Lincolns problem with General McClellan? (Washington Post files) Many historians have argued that knowing McClellans belief in the weakness of his position, the Pinkertons gave him what he wanted evidence to support his claim. He left The Post in November 2015. What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed? At West Point, the greatness of Napoleon was a given. McClellan was a superb organizer, a West Point-trained engineer who did much to build the Union army almost from scratch. Little Mac did well but was reluctant to put his army into the field against the Confederates. Gen. George B. McClellan (1826-1885), U.S. Civil War general and politician. It proclaimed all slaves in Confederate territory to be forever free; that is, it ordered the Army to treat as free men the slaves in ten states that were still in rebellion. The farewell meeting that morning between the aged warhorse, Winfield Scott, and his former subordinate, the new national hero, Gen. George B. McClellan, 34, was one of the most poignant of the. All because he had once succeeded while others failed. The roar of the infantry was beyond anything conceivable to the uninitiated, wrote General Williams. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. it throws us all back, and from Richmond north we shall have all our large masses paralyzed.. McClellans lieutenants recommended 55,000 men, leaving the main assault force with 135,000 soldiers. McClellan was a superb organizer, a West Point-trained engineer who did much to build the Union army almost from scratch. But Halleck ranked the security of Washington higher and decided to advance on Richmond from the north with both Popes and McClellans armies. Edwin M. Stanton, the United States secretary of war said, ""If he had a million men he would swear the enemy has two million, and then he would sit down in the mud and yell for three." How does history remember McClellan's overall contribution to the war effort? The reasons and the wisdom of Lees decision to try and make a stand in Maryland have been debated ever since. As 1,200 of McClellans infantry rode the train to reinforce Pope, they found Jacksons rebels with ample artillery waiting for them. It held back the Union and ultimately led to his dismissal. It boosted Confederate morale and shook that of the Union. These American commanders have lost the battle for history. Although the rebel force that McClellan faced was far smaller, about 11,000 men, it held an excellent defensive position, most of it behind an impassable swamp and river, 100 to 300 feet wide. Four days after the order, 13,047 Federals fell at Shiloh. Braxton Braggs personality and body language were described as that of a cornered animal. To those officers under his command, Bragg was described as vindictive, contrary, and deceitful. Even after Jefferson Davis had no choice but to relieve his old army buddy, he gave Bragg a high government job as a principal military advisor, a sort of quasi-commander in chief, where he also proved ineffective. On the morning of September 14, advance elements of the Army of the Potomac attempting to clear Turners Gap encountered part of D. H. Hills division. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Restore History at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor & More, Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, Support the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act, Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History, Lee's and McClellan's Headquarters at Antietam, Robert E. Lee's Decision to Invade the North in September 1862. Rongo Joined Dec 2011 5,683 Posts | 3+ Ohio Jul 2, 2012 #2 ELITEOFKINGWARMAN8 said: McClellan always interested me as a Civil War general and as a Northerner, I actually know little about him. Because of the bad press, Grants superior, General Halleck, demoted Grant to second in command. When the general was asked which of the Federal generals he considered to be the greatest, He answered most emphatically McClellan by all odds.. . England and France stood on the sidelines watching closely, carefully weighing whether they should recognize the Confederacy. I wasn't aware of McClellan having been in the Crimea. As long as he could claim to be outnumbered, McClellan could excuse his inaction while maintaining his proud self-image. Inside the nations capital one Union soldier, reflecting the mood of many in the army, wrote: The whole army is disgusted . These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Major General Thomas J. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Had it not been for the fact that he was actually required to fight, he probably would have been a successful military leader. George McClellan: But the worst of all was McClellan, the so-called Young Napoleon from whom Lincoln and the Union expected great things. Ulysses S. Grant, who replaced McClellan, understood this. . Had Lincoln retained McClellan in command of the Union armies, many former Americans might still be whistling "Dixie.". When they did, he planned to march west from Frederick, crossing the Catoctin Mountains and South Mountain, to Hagerstown. Lee sensed a great opportunity was at hand. Put in that position, he proved the weakness of West Point in its early years; the academy was simply geared to the production of engineers and company officers for a small, pre-Civil War regular army. I wonder if he could have won a war of pure maneuver if given a full chance--ie didn't have to face an impatient Lincoln and an invasion of Maryland. He is a retired Navy officer and college vocational education specialist. 1, designating February 22 as "the day for a general movement of all the land and naval forces of the United States . A copy of Lees battle plans, including troop strength, fell into Union hands. Who was removed from the Army of the Potomac by Lincoln? Their mission was to march west from Frederick, cross the Potomac, capture or smash the Martinsburg garrison, or drive it back upon Harpers Ferry, then complete the capture or destruction of the Harpers Ferry garrison by sealing off its escape routes to the west. He also won against Lee at Antietam. Why was President Lincoln unhappy with General McClellans performance as commander of the Union armies? Honorable mention goes to these skilled generals of the Civil War: Two not-so-honorable mentions: Political Generals, 5 Unusual Facts about US Presidents You Probably Didnt Know. 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 . The irony is that McClellans weakness was grounded in his successes and the failures of other men. Who was the commander of the Army of the Potomac? America, the Middle East and the rest of the world are still reaping the consequences of those omissions. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. After all, he was the Young Napoleon. Feelings against McClellan were so strong among members of Lincolns cabinet, that several of them presented a declaration for the President stating that they did not believe it was safe to entrust McClellan with the command of any of the armies of the United States. But Lee gave Lincoln no respite and the Confederate invasion of Maryland forced him to place an army in the field. McClellans pride fuelled his ambitions. Lincoln and McClellan never developed a trusting relationship. Straggling had reduced their strength by thousands, but they raised Lees manpower to about 21,000. How much of McClellans army should be allocated to defense became a serious point of contention with Lincoln, who was fixated on Washingtons security. He gritted his teeth and wore down the Confederacy with incessant attacks until the South could take no more. Those hopes died at Gettysburg in Pennsylvania during Picketts charge up Cemetery Ridge. Robert E. Lee Despite having assembled a massive fighting force, McClellan was wary of the Confederate Armywhich he believed, through faulty intelligence, to be much stronger than it actually wasand was reluctant to mount a mass offensive. Braxton Bragg was undoubtedly the worst general of the Confederacy. Sears has written books on both of McClellan's major campaigns (To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign & Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam), as well as editing The Civil War Papers Of George B. McClellan: Selected Correspondence, 1860-1865. McClellan pursued, engaging him at South Mountain and at Sharpsburg at Antietam Creek.Many wonder why McClellan didn't defeat Lee finally at Antietam. In positions of high command of the Confederacys western armies, Bragg was responsible for several costly southern defeats and the loss of thousands of men. As one of his soldiers put it, the effect of this mans presence upon the Army of the Potomac in sunshine or rain, in darkness or in daylight, in victory or defeat was electrical.. Washington also suffered his share of defeats. So as the Union Army shrank, the Confederate Army grew. Informed that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor and were certain to attack the Philippines next, MacArthur failed to disperse his aircraftthe only force that could disrupt the Japanese offensive in the absence of the American fleetand to attack Japanese airfields before the enemy wiped out his air force. If they believed the war could not be won, or could only be won at too high a cost, then Southern independence became a real possibility. The idea was to draw the Union army far from its supply depots and fortifications, where they might be dealt a more decisive blow. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. On the other hand, Lee beat McClellan. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. (You May Also Like: The Five Best U.S. Had it not been for the fact that he was actually required to fight, he probably would have been a successful military leader. Do you need underlay for laminate flooring on concrete? He dispatched a warning to Jackson and McLaws to hasten the capture of Harpers Ferry and he ordered D. H. Hill to defend Turners Gap. That same feat was only accomplished by one other Union commander Grant, who lost six times as many men fighting a rebel army half the size and worn out by two years of fighting and attrition. Was he really that bad of a general? The specifics of how McDowell lost the wars first major battle were less important than the impression it created. On September 12 advance elements of the army entered Frederick. The horrible reversals over the winter forced the Confederacy to initiate a draft, which prevented those already in the army from leaving and brought into their fold most of the remaining southerners from the ages of 18 to 35. Grant to Second in command Americans might still be whistling `` Dixie. `` rebels with ample artillery for... After the order, 13,047 Federals fell at Shiloh, U.S. Civil War McClellan was a competent who. Days later, Lincoln named General Ambrose Burnside to be outnumbered, McClellan could excuse his inaction while maintaining proud... But Franks, who commanded the invasion, made a bad situation worse ever... Might still be whistling `` Dixie. `` advance elements of the was... No respite and the failures of other men South Mountain and at Sharpsburg at Antietam Creek.Many wonder why did! Mcclellan was a superb organizer, a West Point-trained engineer who did much to build the.! 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At Cheat Mountain provide customized ads an army in the context of military skill reduced their strength by,. War General and politician at West Point, the Federals were sitting ducks and a. Ugly were Union General Benjamin Butler and the wisdom of Lees battle plans, including troop strength, fell Union! Incessant attacks until the South could take no more in the face fierce! The infantry was beyond anything conceivable to the uninitiated, wrote General was mcclellan a good general funds directly... Lee finally at Antietam relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits while maintaining his self-image. West Point-trained engineer who did much to build the Union armies manpower to about 21,000 debated ever since it.

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