Almost immediately after the Battle of Bull Run. The men were just hanging about the streets of Washington in low morale. McLellan was the man to put fresh heart into them.
As the Union's Peninsula campaign was in its early stages, General McClellan was certain that President Lincoln was hampering McClellan's war operations. Lincoln had stepped in and retained the corps under General McDowell to defend Washington DC. Lincoln believed this was a necessity.
There were different generals for different battles. Some Union generals include Robert Anderson, Irvin McDowell, Ulysses S. Grant and George B. McClellan.
Because he was the winner of the campaign which led to the conquest of West Virginia and because, at that very moment, there was no other general apparently endowed with the necessary qualities to set up the great army so urgently needed by the Union.
Union General George B. McClellan had a loyal staff of Union army generals. McClellan's chief of staff was his father in law.
George McClellan
George Brinton McClellan.
At the end of July, 1861, Union General George B. McClellan was in charge of the Division of the Potomac. Under McClellan, was General K. F. Mansfield, in command of the District of Columbia and General McDowell in command of a division.
General McDowell was the first commanding officer of the Union's Army of the Potomac. Under him the Army lost it's first major battle, the battle of Manassas or Bull Run. He was quickly replaced with General George B. McClellan.
As the Union's Peninsula campaign was in its early stages, General McClellan was certain that President Lincoln was hampering McClellan's war operations. Lincoln had stepped in and retained the corps under General McDowell to defend Washington DC. Lincoln believed this was a necessity.
There were different generals for different battles. Some Union generals include Robert Anderson, Irvin McDowell, Ulysses S. Grant and George B. McClellan.
Because he was the winner of the campaign which led to the conquest of West Virginia and because, at that very moment, there was no other general apparently endowed with the necessary qualities to set up the great army so urgently needed by the Union.
A respected Union general, Erasmus D. Keyes, one of McClellan's corps commanders in the Peninsula campaign, sided with his commanding officer. He wrote that Lincoln's decision to take away McDowell's corps from the Peninsula campaign forced McClellan to now execute a plan that was different than the one originally agreed upon before the move to Fort Monroe.
Union General George B. McClellan had a loyal staff of Union army generals. McClellan's chief of staff was his father in law.
When US President Lincoln relieved Major General McClellan's title of general in chief, he did not immediately fill that vacancy. He planned on having himself and Secretary of War, William Stanton handle that vital job. Neither men had enough military experience, in fact no military experience, that commanded the respect of Union generals in the field. This was perhaps most evident in Virginia in 1862 as the Peninsula campaign was underway. Irregardless of General McClellan's poor military tactics, McClellan did know military strategy and the generals that he previously commanded knew that.This problem was best noted in Virginia. On June 8, 1862, Lincoln and Stanton once again ordered General McDowell to join forces with General McClellan. Reportedly and also confirmed by communications between McDowell and McClellan, this June 8th order was the third time McDowell was ordered to do this.Clearly there was confusion in the Union high command over how best to save McClellan's army.There might have been no confusion if McClellan had retained his position of general in chief.Nevertheless, confusion did overcome what seemed to be common sense.For example, neither generals Fremont nor Banks understood that they had to position themselves to prevent Stonewall Jackson from marching towards Washington DC.Later in June, Lincoln had to agree with McClellan that Jackson was pretending to march north as a way to prevent Union troops from reinforcing McClellan.With that said, it must be noted that the best General Lee could do was form an army of some 85,000 troops. This was less than half of McClellan's army of 200,000 troops.McClellan refused to attack until McDowell's force of at least 20,000 troops arrived.
When Union General George B. McClellan learned that General Robert E. Lee would replace the wounded Joseph Johnston he was delighted. His memiors say he was glad because he considered Robert E. Lee to be a timid commander.
As the new Union General in Chief George B. McClellan was making plans in the East for the Army of the Potomac, General McClellan did not neglect the Western Theater. He appointed General Don Carlos Buell to head the Department of Ohio, and General Henry W. Halleck to head the Department of Missouri. As an aside, at the time, little did both McClellan nor Halleck know that before the year of 1862 was over, Halleck would replace McClellan as general in chief.
George Brinton McClellan.