The not-much-lamented, or even noticed, death of General George B. McClellan occurred this week (Oct. 29) in 1885, which might seem surprising given that he served for a time as commanding general of the Union Army during the Civil War. But McClellan, who was brilliant at organizing and training an army, and terrific at earning the affection and loyalty of those under his command, had one character flaw. He was averse to battle, which can be detrimental to a military career.
President Lincoln, who appointed McClellan commander of the Army of the Potomac after that army’s disastrous showing at the First Battle of Bull Run, had hoped that his dashing young general — fondly called “Little Mac” by his men — would vigorously and repeatedly engage the Confederate army, thereby wearing it down through the superior number of men and amounts of material that the North enjoyed. Lincoln even promoted McClellan to commander of all Union armies, but soon became disenchanted with McClellan’s constant procrastination. McClellan never thought he had enough troops, or that they had enough training. He worried that his horses weren’t fresh enough, or that his supply lines weren’t strong enough, making him hesitant to move. And then there was his constant belief — usually wrong — that the Confederate armies he faced were larger than his.
Lincoln, complaining that McClellan “has a case of the slows,” finally demoted him back to commander of the Army of the Potomac, hoping that reducing his responsibilities might increase his effectiveness. But McClellan continued to blanch at exposing his men to combat, both because he cared about them and liked being popular with them. In the end, he didn’t like spilling their blood, which is an unavoidable byproduct of battle.
As is known, McClellan’s one significant battlefield victory was against Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War. Of course it helped that McClellan had obtained an advanced copy of Lee’s battle plans, which a Union soldier had found in a discarded cigar wrapper and sent to McClellan’s headquarters.
Yet even then, McClellan declined to press his advantage and attack Lee’s retreating army, allowing it to escape back to Virginia. McClellan’s excuse was that his men and horses were tired, which infuriated Lincoln, who pointed out that Lee’s men and horses, having lost the battle, undoubtedly were just as tired, yet they were beating a hasty, unmolested retreat. His patience ended, Lincoln sacked McClellan and never again gave him a command.
After McClellan, Lincoln went through several generals before finally finding the one, Ulysses S. Grant, who shared his military philosophy.
Asked why he liked Grant, Lincoln offered a stark contrast to McClellan. “He fights.”
