George McClellan

Graduated from West Point, a veteran of the Mexican American War, and better known for his role as a Union General, George McClellan served as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 until November 1862. As one of the most significant military generals of the American Civil War, he determined the Union's first years' warfare strategy.

But exactly what were George McClellan's accomplishments? What was his role in the Civil War? In this explanation, you will learn about all of this and even his cause of death!

Early Career of Union General George McClellan

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1826, George McClellan was one of five children born to an affluent family. He spent two years studying law at the University of Pennsylvania in 1840 before leaving to join the West Point Military Academy in 1842. Despite a required age of 16 to attend, McClellan was able to enter the school at the age of 15 after his father wrote a letter to the academy's president.

Fig. 1 George McClellan

George McClellan (antebellum) Accomplishments

McClellan served in the Mexican-American War in 1846 where he gained experience as an officer and commanded an engineering company after the war. In 1855, he was sent as an official observer to the Crimean War, where he learned about the most modern military science in action.

Fig. 2 Cavalry Charge

McClellan resigned in 1857 from his military commission and used his previous experience with engineering to work in the railroad industry. He married and became involved in politics in 1860, supporting Democratic presidential candidate Stephen Douglas–who ran unsuccessfully against Abraham Lincoln.

George McClellan: Civil War

Due to his extensive military experience, George McClellan was first commissioned as Major General of the Ohio militia in April 1861. His political ties with pro-slavery Democrats offered him opportunities within the new Confederate Army, however, he did not agree with the secession.²

George McClellan as Major General

In May, he was commissioned as Major General in the regular army, achieving the highest rank in the military just beneath Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott, who oversaw all Union forces. McClellan spent the early months of the conflict organizing and training the new volunteers.

McClellan wrote to Winfield Scott about two proposed strategies:

• one that saw him leading a large army through Virginia to the Confederate capital of Richmond, and
• another in which he would lead an army across the Ohio River into Kentucky and Tennessee.

Scott rejected his plans, citing that they were not feasible under current logistics, and countered with a proposal to take control of the Mississippi River while simultaneously blockading the Southern coast. McClellan considered Scott's plan as too slow and hesitating. His predilection for a decisive battle earned him the nickname of "Young Napoleon."³

Fig. 3 Union Board Illustration

In the field, McClellan commanded units to take control over what would become West Virginia, a region of Virginia that was largely against secession. His forces emerged victorious in one of the war's first skirmishes at Philippi and the battle of Rich Mountain.

George McClellan & Union Army of the Potomac

Following the Union defeat at the First Battle of Manassas (as it was called by the Southern forces) / Bull Run (as it was called by the Union), Abraham Lincoln requested for McClellan to go to Washington. There, forces in Virginia were consolidated into the Union Army of the Potomac. McClellan was put in command. He worked to better organize and train his army and prepared defenses around Washington, D.C. to protect from attack. His army swelled to 168,000 by November 1861, and he proposed that it should be further expanded so that he could launch a single decisive campaign to defeat the Confederacy.

Though well-liked by his army, McClellan's views on the abolition of slavery put him at odds with the Republican government of Abraham Lincoln. McClellan mistakenly overestimated the size of Confederate forces opposite the Union capital, which caused him to hesitate in taking any action, further frustrating the government.

Union General George McClellan

In November 1861, Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott resigned from his position amidst personal disagreements with McClellan, and McClellan assumed his role as commander of all Union forces, in addition to commanding the Army of the Potomac. His continued lack of offensive actions against the Confederates led Abraham Lincoln to demand to be informed of his plans, and Lincoln ordered that offensive operations begin in February.

Fig. 4 Lincoln visiting McClellan

The Peninsula Campaign

Lincoln suggested another attack at Manassas, but McClellan responded with his plan to move the army by ship to Urbanna, Virginia to outflank Confederate forces near Washington. The Confederates had pulled back behind the Rappahannock River, which forced McClellan to contrive a new plan, which called for landing an army at the Union-controlled Fort Monroe in the Virginia Peninsula and advancing up the Peninsula to Richmond. Lincoln officially removed him from the general-in-chief in March, but left his position vacant. Then, McClellan focused directly on commanding the Army of the Potomac in the campaign.

Though the campaign enjoyed some initial successes, Confederate generals ultimately outmaneuvered the Union armies in the region and prevented Richmond from coming under siege. The wounding of Confederate General Joseph Johnston during the fighting led his second-in-command, Robert E. Lee, to take charge in his place. Lee successfully maneuvered the Confederate armies to cut Union forces off from supplies and compelled McClellan to retreat back up the peninsula. McClellan delivered Lee a decisive defeat while defending his retreat. He planned to reinforce and renewed operations. However, Lincoln recalled his army, and the campaign was finished.

Lee's Invasion of Maryland

McClellan contended with Lee again when General Lee launched an offensive campaign into Northern territory by invading Maryland in the fall of 1862. As Lee's army advanced and captured the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, McClellan pursued. He wrote to Lincoln via telegraph of his confidence and succeeded in turning Lee's army back at the bloody Battle of Antietam.

• Battle of Antietam

  The Battle of Antietam is known for being the 'bloodiest' battle of the Civil War. Because of the advanced technology, such as the new rifles with improved accuracy, and its combination with the old-styled battle lines tactics, the fight led to an unprecedented number of deaths.

Fig. 5 Battle of Antietam

George McClellan's Significance and Legacy

McClellan's significance in the Civil War spans from victory and loss. His service to the Union army during the Civil War contributed to the Union Victory. His impact was nothing but impressive during his year as general-in-chief to all Union armies, as he controlled a vast amount of military power.

Though the victory of Antietam was positively received by Lincoln and encouraged him to issue his Emancipation Proclamation, the president was ultimately unsatisfied with him. McClellan's army failed to engage Lee during his retreat, and Lincoln—having already been frustrated by McClellan's inaction earlier in the war—believed that McClellan's hesitation missed on a crucial opportunity to destroy Lee's army.

Lincoln met with McClellan after the Battle of Antietam and on November 5, 1862, and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside. McClellan, didn't hold another prominent position during the war.

From Army General to Political Contender

Following his dismissal, McClellan became distanced from the Civil War. Though General Ulysses S. Grant and others had considered appointing him to some type of command at certain points in the war, McClellan was ultimately seen as too politically undesirable. In addition to his antipathy to abolition, McClellan wrote scathing reports about his operations, in which he was highly critical of the government's inability to keep his army properly supplied and reinforced.

At the end of 1863, McClellan entered politics and was nominated by the Democratic party to run against Abraham Lincoln for the presidency in 1864. He ran his campaign while still officially serving as a general, though he did resign from the Army on election day in November 1864. The Democratic platform favored ending the war and negotiating peace with the Confederacy, though McClellan went against it, which divided Democratic voters. Military successes in late 1864 and Lincoln's powerful position weakened McClellan's bid for the presidency, and he was overwhelmingly defeated 212 to 21 in the electoral vote.

Fig. 6 McClellan Gunboat Candidate Cartoon

Post-War McClellan

After the war, McClellan traveled to Europe with his family for three years before returning to the US to work as a civil engineer in New York City. Following a second trip to Europe in the mid-1870s, he became involved in politics again and ran for governor of the state of New Jersey in 1877. He won the governorship and served as governor from 1878 until 1881.

George McClellan's Cause of Death

He continued to be involved in politics for a few years after his governorship, supporting Grover Cleveland in the 1884 presidential election, but afterward retired and took to traveling and writing his memoirs. In October 1885, he suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 58. His memoirs, McClellan's Own Story, were published after his death in 1887. In them, he wrote in the defense of his conduct during the Civil War.