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McClellan ("Little Mac") to his troops) was a great organizer, and skilled tactician. However, he was often far too cautious, and cost him dearly in his first "Drive to Richmond". He did regain a bit of respect at Antietam, when he gained a tactical stalemate against Lee. But the heavily outnumbered Confederate army held it's ground, awaiting more attacks, which never came. Lee withdrew, leaving McClellan in possession of the field.
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What decision by Union General George B McClellan delayed his advance to Richmond in the Peninsula campaign?
On April 4, 1862, General McClellan decided that the best way to force the Confederates out of Yorktown, was to lay it to siege. This caused a serious delay in McClellan's advance westward towards Richmond.
How did General George B McClellan approach the problem of General Lee's raid into Maryland in 1862?
Upon learning of the raid into Maryland by General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, Major General George B. McClellan knew he was facing a challenge from the South's best general and its best army. With that in mind, McClellan began to follow the Confederates slowly, making sure that Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland were secure. He also needed time to reorganize his Army of the Potomac in order to meet Lee's challenge.
What plan of action did Union General George G Meade was the best way to assault Richmond?
Union General George Meade still believed that a "peninsula campaign" was the best way to assault Richmond. Meade did not press his ideas because of the 1862 failed Peninsula campaign of General George B. McClellan.
What was Major General George B. McClellan's proposal in dealing with Kentucky in 1861?
In June of 1861, Major General George B. McClellan approached General in Chief Winfield Scott on the best way to deal with Kentucky's proclaimed neutrality. He recommended that slavery should not be an issue with regards to Kentucky. McClellan believed that all private property in Kentucky, even with secessionists there needed to be respected irregardless of the political views of the citizens of that slave border state.
What was Major General George B. McClellan's best opportunity to inflict severe damages on General Lee's forces in Maryland in 1862?
On September 16, 1862, one day before the historic Battle of Antietam, Major General George B. McClellan lost his best opportunity to defeat General Lee's army in detail in Maryland. McClellan was slow to assemble his forces in and around the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. McClellan was unaware that he substantially outnumbers Lee's army and postpones an attack on the Confederates. Instead he waits another day until his reserve forces joins his main army. Theoretically, if McClellan conducted an assault on September 16, the Battle of Antietam would have been a smashing Union victory.
What was George B McClellan best known for?
He trained the Army of the Potomac.
What best describes General George B McClellan's personality?
He was a strict and organized man. Although sometimes, he was overly cautious, and mistakes led him to get frustrated very quickly.
What were two important military assignments did General in Chief George B. McClellan make in late 1861?
In late 1861, General in Chief George B. McClellan displayed what the US Civil War called for based on the circumstances that were at hand. The complexity of the Union's war efforts were best handled by a general in chief that did not command an army of his own, but rather created military strategies to be carried out by his subordinates. For example, McClellan assigned General Henry W. Halleck to head the Department of Missouri and General Don Carlos Buell to the department of the Ohio.As the war moved along, it became clear that McClellan was an expert organizer and a creative strategic thinker. McClellan's strength was in those two important areas. He was not a great field general. Having said that, he was not alone in that category. For the most part, many Union generals were average at best.
What did General George B McClellan was the best place to begin the Peninsula campaign in 1862?
General McClellan believed that landing his army at Urbana Virginia gave him his best chance to cut off the forces Confederates under the command of Major General John B. Magruder. The landing there would be a total surprise for the Rebels and enable McClellan to reach Richmond before he could reinforce the Confederate capital. Urbana had to be placed aside and McClellan had to chose Fort Monroe as his forward base of operations in that the uncertainty caused by the ironclad CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads.
Who was commander of the Union army in 1862?
The Federal Army of the Potomac was led by Major General George McClellan in the Autumn of 1862, and would be replaced later that Fall, in November, by Major General Ambrose E. Burnside. The change in military leadership was a surprise to many people in the North who supported General McClellan. President Lincoln waited until the off-year elections of 1862 were finished before he relieved McClellan. Playing politics with top generals such as Burnside and McClellan were not in the Union's best interests.
What was George McClellan best at?
He was very successfully at raising and training the army. He was ineffective as a tactical commander in the field.
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'.
