George Mcclellan's Life And Accomplishments
Brian Hoeg Civil War Group Projects
American Wars
3/14/06
George Brinton McClellan
When you hear the name George McClellan, courageous, brave, heroic, and decisive are probably not the first words that come to mind. That's probably because none of those words describe him. George McClellan was an indecisive coward, unfit for his position as a general, partially because of his sympathy for his troops, but also because of his "conspiracy theories" which constantly screwed over the union troops under his leadership.
McClellan, also known as "Lil' Mac," and "Young Napoleon," was a prestigious student at the West Point academy. He was the youngest recruit, however when he graduated he was second in his class, and the first one ended up serving
under him. After graduating McClellan was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers and in the Mexican War, he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant and Captain for his zeal, gallantry, and ability in constructing roads and bridges over routes for the marching army. He also taught at West Point for 3 years. The accomplishments went on and on. McClellan became a surveyor of possible transcontinental railroad routes, and as a member of a board of officers, he was able to go to Europe and study Napoleon's tactics. McClellan's legacy also gave us the "McClellan Saddle," which became obsolete by 1942 (but it sure was important before that!). McClellan later resigned from his position as 1st Captain of Cavalry to become the Chief Engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad. When the civil war began, McClellan was living in Ohio running two railroad companies.
It was only downhill from there. Though McClellan was successful in West Virginia, the rest of the war didn't pan out as well. McClellan had many opportunities to put the war to an end, but instead he messed up and created an extra 20,000+ casualties. After his victory in West Virginia over make-shift forces, he was approved as Major General, only outranked by General In Chief Winfield Scott. His flawless record then became a record scoffed about by his superiors. His military career was flooded by failure to put closure to the Civil War with many opportunities which would have been an easy end. McClellan's biggest fault was when he was handed General Lee's battle plans for the Battle Of Antietam, and failed to take action for 18 hours, resulting in 19,000 casualties on his side alone. This was the last straw for Abraham Lincoln, who dismissed McClellan very promptly. His over estimation of his enemies and his lack of execution were two damning factors in his military career.
McClellan didn't let this get him down. He continued to run for president. Though his campaign seemed promising, he lost to his superior during the civil war, Abraham Lincoln. McClellan only received 23 electoral votes, so he decided to run for governor of New Jersey, which proved to be a close 2nd. He was governor from 1878 - 1881. He died in 1885.
McClellan was important to 1862 because he was the leader of the Union Army for a good amount of time, though his impact on the army was mostly negative. If McClellan was involved with a freak accident the day before the war, the Union Army would've been better off. His indecisiveness and paranoia only hurt them, when the war could've been done in a few months. McClellan was disappointing as a leader, considering his records as a top-notch official. With many failed opportunities to stop the war, the only really good thing McClellan contributed to the Civil War was pressed up against his ass the whole time.
American Wars
3/14/06
George Brinton McClellan
When you hear the name George McClellan, courageous, brave, heroic, and decisive are probably not the first words that come to mind. That's probably because none of those words describe him. George McClellan was an indecisive coward, unfit for his position as a general, partially because of his sympathy for his troops, but also because of his "conspiracy theories" which constantly screwed over the union troops under his leadership.
McClellan, also known as "Lil' Mac," and "Young Napoleon," was a prestigious student at the West Point academy. He was the youngest recruit, however when he graduated he was second in his class, and the first one ended up serving
under him. After graduating McClellan was appointed 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers and in the Mexican War, he won brevets of 1st Lieutenant and Captain for his zeal, gallantry, and ability in constructing roads and bridges over routes for the marching army. He also taught at West Point for 3 years. The accomplishments went on and on. McClellan became a surveyor of possible transcontinental railroad routes, and as a member of a board of officers, he was able to go to Europe and study Napoleon's tactics. McClellan's legacy also gave us the "McClellan Saddle," which became obsolete by 1942 (but it sure was important before that!). McClellan later resigned from his position as 1st Captain of Cavalry to become the Chief Engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad. When the civil war began, McClellan was living in Ohio running two railroad companies.
It was only downhill from there. Though McClellan was successful in West Virginia, the rest of the war didn't pan out as well. McClellan had many opportunities to put the war to an end, but instead he messed up and created an extra 20,000+ casualties. After his victory in West Virginia over make-shift forces, he was approved as Major General, only outranked by General In Chief Winfield Scott. His flawless record then became a record scoffed about by his superiors. His military career was flooded by failure to put closure to the Civil War with many opportunities which would have been an easy end. McClellan's biggest fault was when he was handed General Lee's battle plans for the Battle Of Antietam, and failed to take action for 18 hours, resulting in 19,000 casualties on his side alone. This was the last straw for Abraham Lincoln, who dismissed McClellan very promptly. His over estimation of his enemies and his lack of execution were two damning factors in his military career.
McClellan didn't let this get him down. He continued to run for president. Though his campaign seemed promising, he lost to his superior during the civil war, Abraham Lincoln. McClellan only received 23 electoral votes, so he decided to run for governor of New Jersey, which proved to be a close 2nd. He was governor from 1878 - 1881. He died in 1885.
McClellan was important to 1862 because he was the leader of the Union Army for a good amount of time, though his impact on the army was mostly negative. If McClellan was involved with a freak accident the day before the war, the Union Army would've been better off. His indecisiveness and paranoia only hurt them, when the war could've been done in a few months. McClellan was disappointing as a leader, considering his records as a top-notch official. With many failed opportunities to stop the war, the only really good thing McClellan contributed to the Civil War was pressed up against his ass the whole time.