answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Yes.

Try reading some of McClellan's letters to Lincoln. They reveal a lot. McClellan was all talk, no action.

User Avatar

Aliza Upton

Lvl 13
2y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Was Lincoln decision to fire mcclellan a good one?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Military History

Why was mcclellan fired during the civil war?

He was fired after the Battle of Antietam. Lincoln decided McClellan was too slow to attack the enemy and he let General Lee slip away after the big battle. McClellan did prove to be a great organizer of the army and established some good principal on training.


What happened to Union Secretary of War Edwin Stanton?

Edward W. Stanton was US President Lincoln's second Secretary of War. He replaced Simon Cameron, who was not doing a good job and there was a question on his morality based on corruption rumors. Stanton had been a rival of Lincoln's for the 1860 Republican Party nominee. He played a major role in the war and his greatest enemy was Union General George B. McClellan. Stanton was a fierce politician and at one point sought to have McClellan court martialed.He was also a victim of the John Wilkes Booth conspiracy to kill Lincoln, Seward and Stanton. All but Lincoln survived.


Why was grant more effective than McClellan?

Grant was very different from McClellan. They were both excellent in different fields, but Grant was more effective...McClellan was an excellent planner and had much experience on the battlefield, the problem was that he wasn't a very good leader. He wasn't good at making decisions in a fast-paced battlefield, and often kept many soldiers to doing nothing at very important points of the war. Although McClellan had kept the Union's morale in tip-top shape, they hadn't been doing to good in the war, especially a huge failed attack to seize Richmond, Virginia. Lincoln did not approve of McClellan, and he was out of the major general position after a brief term (November 1861 to March 1862).Now lets move on to Ulysses S. Grant (18th President of the United States)...As many people know, Grant was the last general Lincoln hired and won the Civil War against Robert E. Lee's stellar South. Unlike McClellan, Grant was an aggressive general and seized key points like Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Mississippi River. Grant was a fast-paced general that was definitely needed for the Civil War. The battle that won it all was when Grant's Union army captured Richmond (the Confederacy capital) in April 1865... the final blow for the Confederate army...So yes, Grant was a very effective general. After a series of different generals, Lincoln had found the perfect one!


What army won the US Civil War battles in the Peninsula Campaign?

Although both the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia suffered heavy casualties, the Peninsula Campaign is considered to be a victory for the Confederacy. The reason for this idea was because McClellan had failed to achieve his primary objective and had to retreat. George McClellan, commanding general of the federal Army of the Potomac, invaded Virginia with the design of capturing Richmond and ending the war. The able manuevering by Robert E. Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia caused McClellan to withdraw, thus easing the pressure on the Confederacy's capital. McClellan's withdraw caused elation in the South and foreboding throughout the North. It cause of great concern to US President Lincoln and he asked General Halleck to assess McClellan's position as he rested his army before finally retreating back to Fort Monroe. Additionally, Halleck came to the conclusion that McClellan had lost of whatever good military judgment he had. Halleck also lost any credibility he may have had regarding McClellan's ability to access the strength of the Confederate army. The Peninsula campaign was nearly a success as at one point Union forces were only six miles from Richmond.


How did the Union's General Orders Number 109 affect the US Civil War?

The failure of General George B. McClellan's Peninsula campaign unsettled many of Lincoln's supporters. In view of no immediate plans that matched the intended level of the campaign to take Richmond via the "peninsula, Lincoln needed to do something to regain some of the lost momentum. The result was General Orders 109. This action reiterated permission to seize property and supplies in Rebel states that could be used as war supplies. It went a bit further however, and did not please everyone. Seizing property allowed for such property to be returned. Lincoln raised the destructive level of the Union's intent to end the rebellion by allowing for the destruction of the aforementioned property. Lincoln also ordered the employment of Blacks as laborers, although, and an important although, to keep good records on this so that compensation to the slave owners might be made in the future.

Related questions

Was Lincoln's decision to fire general McClellan a good one?

Yes. Try reading some of McClellan's letters to Lincoln. They reveal a lot. McClellan was all talk, no action.


When did General George McClellan inform President Lincoln that Robert E Lee was in charge of defending Richmond?

On April 20, 1862, General George B. McClellan informed President Lincoln that Robert E. Lee was replacing the wounded General Johnston. McClellan also mentioned that this change was good for the Union as Lee was known to be weak and timid.


Who did george mcclellan go against?

In the General Election of 1864, he ran as a Democrat against Lincoln. (He had a good chance of winning too.)


What is a good sentence for 'arrogate'?

I did not arrogate my authority when I made the decision to fire.


What caused President Lincoln to chose General Burnside over General Hooker to lead the Army of the Potomac?

President Lincoln wanted to make a careful choice on which general would replace General George B. McClellan to lead the Union's high profile army, the Army of the Potomac. He narrowed his choices down to General Ambrose E. Burnside and "Fighting" Joe Hooker. Both men had served well in the war's early battles and both had served in the Mexican War. Burnside was ten years younger than Hooker, however, that was not a key element in Lincoln's decision. Of the two, Hooker was well known to have been critical of General McClellan. On the other hand, Burnside had been a friend of McClellan's and they knew each other from their time at West Point. Lincoln knew all too well the fierce loyalty the Army of the Potomac's officers and soldiers had towards McClellan, and Lincoln did not want to hrt the morale of the troops by appointing someone that had been an outspoken critic of McClellan. Lincoln chose Burnside, but was surprised that Burnside turned down the offer twice. It seems that it was exactly because of Burnside's friendship with McClellan, he did not wish to "betray" his friend and seem to be Lincoln's replacement for a man the rank and file of the army held in such high esteem. Finally, on Lincoln's third request, Burnside placed the nation's need for a good general above his own personal loyalty to McClellan, and accepted the job.


What actions did Union General George B McClellan take in the capital to ease Lincoln's fears?

Union General George B. McClellan continued in the Fall of 1861 to train and organize his army. In an effort to ease US President Lincoln's concerns, McClellan put on a military review that displayed the largest military army ever seen in North America at Washington DC.The military parade included 90 infantry regiments, 9 cavalry regiments, and batteries containing 100 cannon. All in all there were 100,000 troops under Lincoln's review. It's now November, 1861. Lincoln fully expected McClellan to make good use of these tremendous force.


Why was mcclellan fired during the civil war?

He was fired after the Battle of Antietam. Lincoln decided McClellan was too slow to attack the enemy and he let General Lee slip away after the big battle. McClellan did prove to be a great organizer of the army and established some good principal on training.


Why was general McClellan relieved of duty after failing to follow which order of president Lincoln?

It was after the Battle of Antietam. McClellan had a perfectly good opportunity to pursue and destroy Lee's army while it was in a vulnerable position, but he moved far too slowly, and Lee was able to get his army back to Virginia.


What might have been the best solution to the problems US President Lincoln was facing with General McClellan?

No one doubts the brilliance of George B. McClellan as being a military genius. Those who do are entitled to their opinions. One Union major general had suggested the best solution of all. Because of McClellan's brilliance and we can assume his "commanding" slowness, the best thing that Lincoln could have done was to retain McClellan as general in chief and appoint a good general to head the Army of the Potomac. This would have relieved him of the stress of the battlefield, and use his fine military mind to create strategies and allow his major generals to carry them out. The Secretary of War, Stanton and US President Lincoln were good politicians and military strategies they themselves would have to admit were not their forte'.


Why did Pres. Lincoln replace General George McClellan with General Sherman?

Lincoln did replace General McClellan. However, he called upon General Ambrose Burnside rather than General Sherman. President Lincoln had almost nothing but trouble out of McClellan who had enjoyed one of the first Union successes of the war in a minor local affair on the Ohio River, and so was brought east to take command of the Army of the Potomac following the disaster of the First Battle of Bull Run. McClellan was good at one thing: training soldiers, but in other military functions, he was incompetent, insolent, and overly cautious: to the point of insubordination. Some, and especially Lincoln, felt that his slow pace was deliberate and designed to needle the president. Further, he had demonstrated his disrespect for the president in several incidents so, after the mid-term elections, Lincoln relieved him of command.


Why was Union General George B McClellan correct concerning his next move after the Battle of Antietam?

US President Lincoln and General in Chief Henry Wager Halleck were critical of General McClellan for not moving immediately against the Army of Northern Virginia after the Battle of Antietam. It can be debated that McClellan had difficulties in resupplying his army, which was huge and reequipping it was a time costly task. This was the reason he believed that an immediate advance against Lee's army was not the correct move. His view is confirmed as General Robert E. Lee saw the strategic situation in the same way. McClellan realized that Lee's two-sided base was a threat to his army in Virginia. Lee's home base had support. Richmond and the vital Virginia Central railroad. Good roads and a rail link to the Shenandoah Valley was Lee's base to the West. It was also rich in food supplies. From Lee's Valley base he would threaten the flank and rear of any Union army moving south to Richmond. And attacking Lee's army directly in Virginia, without resupplying would not be a good move by McClellan. President Lincoln did not see the value of McClellan's hesitation. But if Lincoln knew Lee agreed with McClellan, his attitude might have been different.


What happened to Union Secretary of War Edwin Stanton?

Edward W. Stanton was US President Lincoln's second Secretary of War. He replaced Simon Cameron, who was not doing a good job and there was a question on his morality based on corruption rumors. Stanton had been a rival of Lincoln's for the 1860 Republican Party nominee. He played a major role in the war and his greatest enemy was Union General George B. McClellan. Stanton was a fierce politician and at one point sought to have McClellan court martialed.He was also a victim of the John Wilkes Booth conspiracy to kill Lincoln, Seward and Stanton. All but Lincoln survived.