GENERAL GEORGE B. MCCLELLAN

General George B. McClellan



Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review primary and secondary sources to find the most accurate sources relating to General George B. McClellan role in the American civil war. It is also to determine what context each author viewed General McClellan in. I have used primary sources in order to develop a specific author's view/treatment of General McClellan. I used Thomas Rowland's George B. McClellan and Civil War history: In the shadow of Grant and Sherman that studies the interpretations of McClellan's generalship. I've also used our text, James M. McPherson's Ordeal by fire: The Civil War and reconstruction. Both are used as primary sources that discuss General George B. McClellan and his affect on the war and its outcome. While McPherson is more critical of McClellan and many of his military decisions, Rowland is less critical, and feels McClellan has been harshly judged, more so than many other Civil War generals who deserved some harsher judgment. Secondary sources are also used in order to determine a better understanding of just how the authors garnered their views of General McClellan.

INTRODUCTION

George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 - October 29, 1885) was a major general during the American Civil War. While not necessarily a supporter of the abolition of slavery, his aim above all was to preserve the union of the United States, the consequence of which was the abolition of slavery. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly (November 1861 to March 1862) as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union. His policies helped weed out unqualified soldiers and officers and provided a more efficient means of leadership selection. Although McClellan was meticulous in his planning and preparations, these attributes are said to have hampered his ability to challenge aggressive opponents in a fast-moving battlefield environment. He chronically overestimated the strength of enemy units and was reluctant to apply principles of mass, frequently leaving large portions of his army un-engaged at decisive moments. He was also routinely late to attack, often missing the prime opportunity to strike at his more vulnerable foe. (Sears 2004)

McClellan's Peninsula Campaign of 1862 ended in failure, retreating from attacks by General Robert E. Lee's smaller army, failing in the planned seizure of the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. His performance at the bloody Battle of Antietam blunted Lee's invasion of Maryland, but allowed Lee to eke out a precarious tactical draw and avoid the destruction of his army, despite being highly outnumbered.

Mexican War

Following graduation, McClellan's first assignment was with a company of engineers formed at West Point, but he soon received orders to sail for Mexico and the Mexican-American War. He arrived near the Rio Grande River in October 1846, well prepared for action, carrying a double-barreled shotgun, two pistols, a saber, a Bowie knife, and his dress ...