the
outspoken
Democrat and
opponent of
emancipation,
who, as yet, had won no significant
victories on the battlefield to erase the
shameful memory of Bull Run.
Furthermore, McClellan
surrounded himself with officers
of a similar political and military
persuasion. These staunch Union
men were, nevertheless, opposed
to making emancipation a primary
war goal, and were extremely
cautious in their conduct of military
affairs. Because of the Union Army’s
respect for seniority, these officers
remained influential in the Army of the
Potomac long after McClellan was
relieved of command.
In McClellan’s view, “radical” war
goals that hoped to transform Southern
society through the destruction of
slavery would make the
Civil War a cruel revolutionary
struggle, with reunion impossible,
and the Union Army demoralized.
As he would later lecture his
commander-in-chief, “Military power
should not be allowed to interfere with
the relations of servitude ... A system
of policy thus constitutional and
conservative, and pervaded by the
influences of Christianity and freedom,
would receive the support of almost all
truly loyal men, would deeply impress
the rebel masses and all foreign nations,and it might be humbly hoped that it
would commend itself to the favor of
the Almighty.” McClellan’s vision of
civil and military policy was defensible,
but his own failures as a battlefield
general would discredit it.The Peninsula Campaign
In March 1862, McClellan launched
a campaign against the Confederate
capital of Richmond. After much delay,
his army finally sailed down to the
peninsula southeast of the city. His
campaign plan had much merit, but he
moved so cautiously that he gave the
Confederates time to ready
their forces. Even so, he
probably would have
eventually forced the
Confederate commander,
Joseph Johnston, into a
siege of Richmond that
would have spelled doom
for the Confederacy, if it
had not been for the
wounding of Johnston at
Seven Pines on May 31.
Robert E. Lee took
command of what would
become the Army of
Northern Virginia. He
launched a series of
audacious attacks onMcClellan between June 25 and
July 1, in what became known as the
Seven Days Battles. McClellan’s men
fought well, and the Confederates
suffered grievous casualties, but Lee’s
aggressiveness unnerved McClellan’s
already shaky morale. Convinced that
he faced an army larger than his own,
McClellan retreated to Harrison’s
Landing on the James River, shattering
his remaining credibility.Lincoln’s frustration
Frustrated with McClellan, Lincoln
handed the primary eastern field
command to General John Pope,
who was promptly crushed by LeeGEORGE B. MCLELLANTIMELINEMCCLELLAN AND RUNNING
MATE IN THE 1864 ELECTION,
GEORGE H. PENDLETONContemporary battle map of Antietam
Antietam was the first battle of the Civil War fought on
Northern soil, and despite having so many advantages
McClellan still failed to destroy Lee’s army.at Second Bull Run. Lincoln had no
choice but to turn to McClellan to rally
the Union Army against a Confederate
invasion of Maryland. But despite his
early capture of Lee’s campaign plan
and a numerical superiority of around
two to one, McClellan failed to destroy
Lee’s army at the Battle of Antietam
(Sharpsburg) on September 17, 1862.
However, he did force Lee to retreat
back to Virginia.
Lincoln used the “victory” at Antietam
to issue the Preliminary Emancipation
Proclamation and, finally losing
patience with McClellan’s lethargic
military movements, relieved him of
his post on November 5. The general
then ran for president on the
Democratic ticket in 1864, attempting
to balance his Unionist convictions
with the radical peace platform of some
Northern Democrats. Lincoln won an
emphatic victory, and McClellan finally
departed the scene.McClellan’s revolver
This .44 caliber Colt Dragoon
was carried by McClellan during
the Civil War. This popular model
was first issued to troops after the
War with Mexico in 1848.
“I begin to feel as if he would
never get ready to fight!”
PRESIDENT LINCOLN TO HIS SECRETARY, WILLIAM O. STODDARD■ December 3, 1826 Born to George McClellan
and Elizabeth Steinmetz Brinton in Philadelphia.
■ 1840 Enrolls at the University of Pennsylvania.
■ 1842–1846 Studies at West Point, emerging
second in a class of 58, and joins the prestigious
Corps of Engineers.
■ 1847 Wins two brevets for gallantry during the
War with Mexico.
■ 1853 McClellan assigned to survey duty in
Washington state’s Cascade Mountains for the
purpose of building a transcontinental railroad.
■ 1855 Serves on the Delafield Commission sent
to observe the Crimean War.
■ 1857 Becomes chief engineer of the Illinois
Central Railroad.
■ 1860 Marries Mary Ellen Marcy, the
daughter of Brigadier General Randolph B.
Marcy, his former commander.
■ June–July 1861 McClellan leads a successful
campaign in western Virginia.
■ November 1861 Replaces the retiring
General Winfield Scott as general-in-chief.
■ March 1862 McClellan is relieved of his post
as general-in-chief of all U.S. armies so he can
focus on the Army of the Potomac.
■ March 17, 1862 Army of the Potomac sails for
Fort Monroe at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula.
Start of the Peninsula Campaign.
■ April 1862 McClellan’s advance toward
Richmond is delayed at Yorktown by Confederate
deception and his own procrastination.
■ May 31–June 1, 1862 Johnston attacks
McClellan’s forces at Seven Pines and is repulsed.
■ June 25–July 2, 1862 During the Seven
Days Battles, Lee pushes McClellan away from
Richmond to the James River. McClellan inflicts
serious losses on Lee but loses his nerve.
■ August 29–30, 1862 Union defeat at Second
Bull Run. McClellan
is called back to
reorganize the battered
Army of the Potomac.
■ September 17, 1862
Despite enjoying large
numerical superiority,
McClellan fails to
defeat Lee at Antietam.
■ November 1862
Lincoln finally loses
patience and relieves
McClellan of his post.
He holds no further
military command.
■ October 1863
McClellan enters politics as a Democrat.
■ August 1864 The Democratic Party nominates
McClellan, but on a peace platform calling for
an armistice, which McClellan himself opposes.
■ November 1864 McClellan loses the
presidential election to Lincoln.
■ 1877 Wins election as governor of New Jersey.
■ October 29, 1885 Dies at Orange, New Jersey.
His memoirs are published posthumously as
McClellan’s Own Story in 1887.McClellan’s chess set
McClellan is said to have looked at war like a
game of chess in which he maneuvered
his men into strong tactical positions. He,
however, lacked the aggressive instincts of
a Lee or a Grant.