“McClellan to me is one of the mysteries of the war” remarked General Grant nearly a dozen years after the end of the Civil War. Any of us who have read anything to do with Abraham Lincoln or the Civil War may agree with this sentiment. He show much promise when yet when made leader of the army, he stalled, became over-cautious resulting in an almost subordination to the President and a few of the orders he issued. It is indeed a mystey.
Who was General George B. McLellan? I decided I wanted to know more about him before I dive into a collaborative project with fellow Lincoln fanatic/friend/awesome person from the allthingslincoln blog. So, the following is a brief overview of his life...
So, here’s a quick lowdown on “Little Mac”:
Born: December 3, 1826 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Elizabeth Sophia Steinmetz Brinton McClellan and Dr. George McClellan. His father was founder of Jefferson Medical College
Died: October 29, 1885. Following his death, his memoirs are published. They are titled “McClellan’s Own Story”.
Buried: Riverside Cemetery, Trenton, New Jersey
Nicknames: Young Napolon, Little Mac
Education: Studied at West Point beginning in 1842. His education at the best private schools allowed him entrance by special permission two years under the minimum age. Of the 59 students in his graduating class, Little Mac graduated second. On a side note, General George Edward Pickett (yes, as in Pickett’s charge) graduated last. Other notable classmates who had very prominent roles in the Civil War include Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Ambrose Powell Hill, and Darius Nash Couch. In total, twenty individuals that graduated from this class would go on to become Civil War Generals.
Wars Fought In: Mexican-American War in 1946 (served under General Winfield Scott), Civil War
Civilian Life before the Civil War: In 1857, at the age of 30, Little Mac left the army to pursue a career in the railroad. He started as chief engineer and vice-president of the Illinois Central Railway. In 1859, he became president of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. In 1864, he ran for President of the United States against Abraham Lincoln. We all know how that turned out.
Horses (cause horses are cool): His favourite horse during the Civil War was “Daniel Webster”. Members of his staff soon began referring to the horse as “that devil Dan” because (and now this is ironic when it comes to MClellan) of the great speed with which the horse would often move. McClellan remarked in later years of his horse that “no soldier ever had a better horse than I in ‘Daniel Webster’“. His other horse was a charger named “Burns”. Again, another speedy horse who would reportedly, at dinner time, bolt for his oats no matter what in the hell might have been happening, like a battle.
I shall strike a pose. Afterwards, the horse will need to rest. Dan gets tired easily...
A timeline of Little Mac during the Civil War
November 1, 1861 - McClellan is made General-In-Chief after the retirement of General Winfield Scott. Lincoln tells McClellan that it will "entail a vast labor upon you" to which Little Mac replied "I can do it all". Okay. Yup. McPhearson argues that “life seemed to have prepared McClellan for greatness”... BUT...it was soon after being made General-in-Chief, that Little Mac began to lose confidence, over estimated troops, and did not like to take risks...MUCH to the annoyance of Present Lincoln.
This eventually led to...
March 1862 - McClellan is relieved of supreme command but still retains control over Army of Potomac.
April - July 1862 -Peninsula Campaign ends after Seven Days Battle. McClellan blames defeat on lack of support from Washington D.C.
September 1862 - General Pope defeated at Second Battle of Manassas. Control of the army is returned to McClellan.
September 17, 1862 - Little Mac stops General Lee's invasion of Antietam, Maryland
November 9, 1862 - McClellan is relieved of command by President Lincoln after failing to pursue General Lee
1864 - McClellan resigns from the army and becomes the Democratic nominee for President. He runs against President Lincoln. We all know how this turns out for McClellan. After his defeat in the election, McClellan goes over to Europe. He stays here until 1868.
During his time as General-In-Chief of the Army right up until President Lincoln had the last straw after Antietam in November, 1862, many letters and telegraphs were exchanged between the of them. Many of these exchanges are something that I’m sure leaves many of us laughing when we study Lincoln. The letters that went back and forth between the Titan and the Young Napoleon are quite colourful at times.
And, as I mentioned, myself and my awesome friend/fellow Lincoln fan from the awesome tumblr blog allthingslincoln have decided to collaborate and do a few posts on these letters. It’ll be something of a “best to worst” exchanges. Stayed tuned for that over the next little while.
But for now, let’s end off of with some fun. Let’s imagine a few things (such as if McClellan had a profile on a dating website). **Please note none of this has been confirmed but it’s all in good fun, right? Cause ya gotta have fun when it comes to Little Mac...**
Likes: slow walks along the Potomac (or beach), standing like Napoleon in nearly all photographs, leading military parades, inspecting troops, writing letters, marching to the beat of my own drum (Lincoln would probably beg to differ on this and refer to it as “not following orders” but each to their own, right?), striking gallant poses of horses, fancy dinners.
Dislikes: People telling me what to do (cough Lincoln cough), being circled by cavalry (cough JEB! cough), moving too fast
George B McClellan Civil War Trust: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/george-mcclellan.html?referrer=https://www.google.ca/
George B. McClellan Timeline: http://www.moc.org/sites/default/files/mcclellantimeline.pdf
Horses of the Civil War Leaders: http://www.civilwarhome.com/warhorses.html
“Battle Cry of Freedom” by James McPhearson. Oxford University Press, 1988.
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