General George B. McClellan
An Outstanding General and a Christian Gentleman
General McClellan was one of the best generals in the Union army during the Civil War, but you would never know this to read what most history books say about him. This website challenges the main myths about his performance and character.
Answering Some Criticisms of General George B. McClellan
The Smearing of General McClellan
Not Wanted: Victory in the East
Civil War Buff Takes On McClellan's Critics
W.C. Prime's Biography of General McClellan (audio book)
General McClellan and the Finding of Lee's Lost Orders (video)
General McClellan and the Conduct of the War (book)
Life, Character, and Public Services of General McClellan (book)
Successful and aggressive Union officers such as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (left) and Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer (right) regarded McClellan as an outstanding commanding general.
However, a powerful faction known as the Radical Republicans tried to undermine McClellan and to mispresent his performance and character. Understanding the conflict between McClellan and the Radical Republicans is crucial for understanding the Civil War.
The Radical Republicans disliked McClellan because he believed in honorable warfare, because he refused to brutalize the Southern population, and because he would not use his troops as cannon fodder in senseless frontal assaults, unlike many other Union generals. The Radical Republicans' distorted portrayal of McClellan is the one still found in most books on the Civil War.
McClellan won nearly every battle he fought and never suffered a major defeat. He may have ended the war by 1863 if Washington authorities, mainly Radical Republicans, had not constrained his operations and had not withheld supplies and troops from his army.
Allan Pinkerton, Chief of the Union Intelligence Service, with President Lincoln
Here is some of what Pinkerton said about McClellan:
"From the time of his commission to the day when he was relieved, after his splendid victory at Antietam, I followed the fortunes of General McClellan. When secret enemies were endeavoring to prejudice the mind of the President against his chosen commander; when wily politicians were seeking to belittle him in the estimation of the people, and when jealous minded officers were ignorantly criticising his plans of campaign, General McClellan pursued his course with unflinching courage and with a devotion to his country unsurpassed by any who have succeeded him."
General McClellan Meeting with President Abraham Lincoln Shortly after the Battle of Antietam
Lincoln was under constant intense pressure from the Radical Republicans to undermine and fire McClellan. Sadly, Lincoln eventually succumbed to that pressure and relieved McClellan of command in November 1862, even though McClellan had won the crucial Battle of Antietam a month earlier and had just carried out a brilliant maneuver against Robert E. Lee's Confederate army in Virginia. Tragically, Lincoln replaced McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside, even though Burnside warned Lincoln he was not fit to replace McClellan and urged Lincoln to keep McClellan in command. Burnside soon suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
McClellan and His Wife Mary. McClellan was a devoted family man and a practicing Christian.
Mike Griffith's Real Issues Home Page E-mail: michael.t.griffith@gmail.com