If he can't fight himself, he excels in making others ready to fight."[65]. [49] The army's advance from Fort Monroe up the Virginia Peninsula proved to be slow. McClellan asked for the opinion of his chief engineer John G. Barnard, who recommended against an assault. [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. He called a council of war at the White House in which McClellan's subordinates were asked about their confidence in the Urbanna plan. McClellan was forced to repudiate the platform, which made his campaign inconsistent and difficult. . During the summer and fall, McClellan brought a high degree of organization to his new army, and greatly improved its morale with frequent trips to review and encourage his units. [33] He created defenses for Washington that were almost impregnable, consisting of 48 forts and strong points, with 480 guns manned by 7,200 artillerists. [6] He began attending the university in 1840, when he was 14 years old, resigning himself to the study of law after his family decided that medical educations for both McClellan and his older brother John were too expensive. The Battle of Williamsburg on May 5 is considered a Union victoryMcClellan's firstbut the Confederate army was not destroyed and most of their troops were successfully moved past Williamsburg to Richmond's outer defenses while the battle was waged and for several days thereafter. George B. McClellan (1826-1885) was an American soldier and politician, best known for his service in the American Civil War, where he was a major general in the Union Army. The governors of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, the three largest states of the Union, actively pursued him to command their states' militia. [65] McClellan's reception in Frederick, Maryland, as he marched towards Lee's army, was described by the correspondent for Harper's Magazine: The General rode through the town on a trot, and the street was filled six or eight deep with his staff and guard riding on behind him. He had received intelligence reports on May 26 that the critical Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bridges in that portion of the state were being burned. [1], Because of his political connections and his mastery of French, McClellan received the assignment to be an official observer of the European armies in the Crimean War in 1855. 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. Seven Days' Battles, (June 25-July 1, 1862), series of American Civil War battles in which a Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee drove back General George B. McClellan's Union forces and thwarted the Northern attempt to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. 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. In the fall of 1852, McClellan published a manual on bayonet tactics that he had translated from the original French. He realized that McClellan was a strong organizer and a skilled trainer of troops, able to recombine the units of Pope's army with the Army of the Potomac faster than anyone. The first would use 80,000 men to invade Virginia through the Kanawha Valley toward Richmond. In doing so, he demonstrated a tendency for insubordination toward senior political figures. But McClellan was also tacitly acknowledging that he would no longer be able to invest Richmond, the object of his campaign; the heavy siege artillery required would be almost impossible to transport without the railroad connections available from his original supply base on the York River. However, the subsequently formed Army of the Potomac had high morale and was extremely proud of their general, some even referring to McClellan as the savior of Washington. As with the decisive battles in the Seven Days, McClellan's headquarters were too far to the rear to allow his personal control over the battle. [90] McClellan's administration was marked by caution and conservatism. [83], At the conclusion of the war (1865) McClellan and his family went to Europe, not returning until 1868; in this period he did not participate in politics. [5], McClellan initially intended to follow his father into the medical profession, and attended a private academy, which was followed by enrollment in a private preparatory school for the University of Pennsylvania. However, Gene Thorp in a 2012 article in The Washington Post cited evidence that the vanguard of Army of the Potomac was in motion all day on the 13th due to orders McClellan had issued the previous day. He served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881; he eventually became a writer, and vigorously defended his Civil War conduct. George B. McClellan, Ambrose Powell Hill, Darius Nash Couch, George Edward Pickett, Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox, and George Stoneman. George McClellan was a U.S. Army engineer, railroad president and politician who served as a major general during the Civil War. "[63] Lee had gambled on removing significant units from the Peninsula to attack Pope, who was beaten decisively at Second Bull Run in August. Both passed the legislature in 1878 and 1880, respectively. He marched toward Maryland with six of his reorganized corps. [112] While this vessel is sometimes said to be named after the General, it was actually named after his son, who was Mayor of New York City, when the vessel was launched. McClellan was an interesting man, full of both strengths and weaknesses. [13], McClellan's experiences in the war would shape his military and political life. On March 8, doubting McClellan's resolve, Lincoln again interfered with the army commander's prerogatives. Upon realizing the intelligence value of this discovery, McClellan threw up his arms and exclaimed, "Now I know what to do!" Peninsula Campaign. McClellan Fitness Center is a United States Army gym located at Fort Eustis, Virginia near his Peninsula Campaign. [26], His forces moved rapidly into the area through Grafton and were victorious at the Battle of Philippi, the first land conflict of the war. 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. Dec 3, 1826 - Oct 29, 1885. He began to write another draft of what would be published posthumously, in 1887, as McClellan's Own Story. The number of men McClellan was actually faced varies, with Joseph Harsh in Confederate Tide Rising placing Lee's army at 112,220 men compared with the 105,857 under McClellan. [18] In March 1855, McClellan was promoted to captain and assigned to the 1st U.S. Cavalry regiment. George McClellan Library of Congress Quick Facts Significance: General-in-Chief of the Union Army Place Of Birth: Philadelphia, PA Date Of Birth: December 3, 1826 Place Of Death: Orange, NJ Date Of Death: October 29, 1885 Place Of Burial: Trenton, NJ Cemetery Name: Riverview Cemetery Place Of Burial: Trenton, NJ. He prevented the army's morale from collapsing at least twice, in the aftermath of the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. He telegraphed President Lincoln: "I have the whole rebel force in front of me, but I am confident, and no time shall be lost. Debates were held as to whether the army should be evacuated or attempt to resume an offensive toward Richmond. For other people with the same name, see, "Little Napoleon" redirects here. McClellan was also fortunate that the failure of the campaign left his army mostly intact, because he was generally absent from the fighting and neglected to name any second-in-command who might direct his retreat. As the war progressed, there were various calls to return McClellan to an important command, following the Union defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, as Robert E. Lee moved north at the start of the Gettysburg campaign, and as Jubal Early threatened Washington in 1864. [90], The concluding chapter of his political career was his strong support in 1884 for Grover Cleveland. MG George B. McClellan (1861-1862) MG Henry W. Halleck (1862-1864) . George B. McClellan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 3, 1826. . He accomplished this by marching small groups of men repeatedly past places where they could be observed at a distance or were just out of sight, accompanied by great noise and fanfare. On January 27, Lincoln issued an order that required all of his armies to begin offensive operations by February 22, Washington's birthday. Her father was of English origin, while her mother was Pennsylvania Dutch. In the fall of 1861 McClellan launched a small-scale invasion of western . Cemetery Name: Riverview Cemetery. Although McClellan was assuaged by supportive comments Lincoln made to him, in time he saw the change of command very differently, describing it as a part of an intrigue "to secure the failure of the approaching campaign".[48]. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration. The reason for McClellan's reluctance was that, as in previous battles, he was convinced he was outnumbered. His subordinate commander, William S. Rosecrans, bitterly complained that his attack was not reinforced as McClellan had agreed. Bouquets, beautiful and fragrant, in great numbers were thrown at him, and the ladies crowded around him with the warmest good wishes, and many of them were entirely overcome with emotion. [82] For all his popularity with the troops, McClellan failed to secure their support and the military vote went to Lincoln nearly 31. Glendale and Malvern Hill found him at the peak of his anguish during the Seven Days, and he fled those fields to escape the responsibility. Many classic histories have portrayed McClellan's army as moving lethargically, averaging only 6 miles (9.7km) a day. I think Lee has made a gross mistake, and that he will be severely punished for it. The class of '46 contributed 20 generals to the Union and Confederate armies. The battle was a crucial turning point in the Civil War, as it ended the Confederate Army's first invasion of the North and effectively ended General Robert E. Lee's campaign in Maryland. Bailey, Ronald H., and the Editors of Time-Life Books. George Brinton McClellan was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey. Union general George B. McClellan had a number of accomplishments that have gone unnoticed due to his replacement as the general in charge of Union forces early in the US Civil War .. $35.00 + $5.00 shipping . Lee continued his offensive at Gaines's Mill to the east. [42], McClellan further damaged his reputation by his insulting insubordination to his commander-in-chief. Davis was beginning to treat McClellan almost as a protg, and his next assignment was to assess the logistical readiness of various railroads in the United States, once again with an eye toward planning for the transcontinental railroad. After his name was unexpectedly placed into nomination at the state convention, there was a stampede and he was nominated by acclamation. George B. McClellan. Unlike some of his fellow Union officers who came from abolitionist families, he was opposed to federal interference with slavery. Free shipping for many products! McClellan was removed from command in November in the aftermath of the 1862 midterm elections. When the public heard about the Galena, it was yet another great embarrassment, comparable to the Quaker Guns at Manassas. He later wrote that had it been his place to arrange the terms of peace, he would have insisted on gradual emancipation, guarding the rights of both slaves and masters, as part of any settlement. Ellen accepted Hill's proposal in 1856, but her family did not approve and he withdrew. [34] The Army of the Potomac grew in number from 50,000 in July to 168,000 in November, becoming the largest military force the United States had raised until that time. It was a scene which no one could forgetan event of a lifetime. [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. General McClellan and President Abraham Lincoln developed a mutual distrust, and McClellan was privately derisive of Lincoln. George B. McClellan, portrait by Mathew Brady, 1861. McClellan's army began to sail from Alexandria on March 17. Making an amphibious clockwise turning movement around the Confederate Army in northern Virginia, McClellan's forces turned west to move up the Virginia Peninsula, between the James River and York River, landing from Chesapeake Bay, with the Confederate capital, Richmond, as their objective. They expressed their confidence to varying degrees. On August 8, believing that the Confederacy had over 100,000 troops facing him (in contrast to the 35,000 they had actually deployed at Bull Run a few weeks earlier), he declared a state of emergency in the capital. McClellan surveyed the western portion of the northern corridor along the 47th and 49th parallels from St. Paul to the Puget Sound. A graduate of West Point, McClellan served with distinction during the Mexican-American War, and later left the Army to serve as an executive . Many historians argue that he was talented in this aspect. Was general george b mcclellan union or confederate? 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