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US President Lincoln had to relieve General George B. McClellan after the Battle of Antietam because he failed to pursue the retreating enemy and McClellan could not be trusted based on his overall battle actions since 1861 and his political differences with Lincoln.
Lincoln was as fair to McClellan as possible. He did not even wait until the midterm elections to let the general understand he would be replaced.
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoThe Union had a crisis of command in the Eastern Theatre. Lincoln had no other General in which he had any real confidence to lead an entire Army. This is somewhat validated by the results themselves.After McClellan was repulsed from the York/James Peninsula Lincoln sent John Pope through Manassas and he then was defeated. McClellan then pursued Lee into Maryland(with Lee's full battle plan in hand,the famous"Lost Order")and even with every advantage(except his own over-cautiousness) he still is unable to destroy Lee's Army at the Battle of Sharpsburg(Antietam). Lincoln relieved McClellan of command and appointed Gen. Ambrose Burnside who presided over the debacle at Fredericksburg and the failed "Mud March" afterwards.He was then relieved and then it's "Fighting Joe" Hooker's turn. He had one battle(Chancellorsville) and he was done. So there was a succession of "One-battle Commanders". Gen. Meade was better but not until Lincoln brought Grant east did Lee meet his match. Grant's main distinction is that he didn't withdraw in defeat after each clash,he kept pressing Lee.To be accurate the Army against which Grant fought beginning in the Spring of 1864 was but a shell of its' earlier strength.
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What did Lincoln wait to do until the union had a victory at Antietam?
fire McClellan
What general did President Lincoln fire after the Battle of Antietam?
Based on his previous actions, and not just those at Antietam, Lincoln fired Major General George McClellan as general-in-chief of the Union armies and replaced him as commander of the Army of the Potomac with Ambrose Burnside.Lincoln was likely prompted by what he saw as the indecisive, overcautious nature of McClellan, who at Antietam thought that he was outnumbered when it was very much the reverse.
Why was george mcClellan fired from general?
Although George B. McClellan was a well respected officer in the US Army, he soon discovered that peace time promotions for junior officers was a slow process. He resigned from the US Army in 1857 to pursue a career in the private sector of the US.
What were all events surrounded relieving Union General George B McClellan of his position as head of the Army of the Potomac after the Battle of Antietam?
After Confederate General Robert E. Lee's retreat from Sharpsburg and the Battle of Antietam, Lee's extended position gave Union General George B. McClellan the opportunity to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia that he did not take. US President Lincoln along with General Halleck wanted McClellan to have a plan to cross the Potomac River while still keeping Washington DC protected. That however, was not the worst of the situation.As for McClellan, his position, privately, was that his enemies in Lincoln's cabinet should be removed. He added Halleck to the list of his enemies and McClellan believed that he should be appointed general in chief.Tactically, the deadliest battle in the history of the United States, was a draw, however, Lee had no choice but to withdraw to the safety of Virginia. As far as McClellan was concerned he had "saved" the Union.Not at all was this the opinion of Lincoln, who was astounded that McClellan had failed to pursue Lee, and allow the Army of Northern Virginia to escape back to Virginia. And, Lee's army would live to fight another day.As an aside, the failure of a victorious army to pursue was commonplace throughout the war.While McClellan rested his troops after which was indeed a horrific battle, Confederate JEB Stuart's cavalry forces conducted raids in Maryland and Pennsylvania, virtually unopposed. While it was true that these raids were not of significant importance, it only added fuel to the fire of Lincoln. It was embarrassing that these raids were not stopped at once.McClellan's dismissal was based on more than Antietam, however. There was a fundamental difference between Lincoln and McClellan on the conduct of the war in general.With fairness to each man, the differences developed as events unfolded. It should be remembered that both Lincoln and Confederate President Davis expected the "rebellion" to be short lived and total loss of 600,000 plus men in 4 years was not expected. Not only was it unexpected, it would not have been tolerated if the combatants had a crystal ball. Faced with the true extent of the destruction of life and along with it, the reduction of what was considered a part of the Union ( the South ) reasonable leaders would have found another way to salvage a situation that would have substantially weakened the United States,McClellan was not simply a military man and Lincoln was not simply a political leader. With that said, the entire reason for McClellan's dismissal was also based on his view that the war should not cause any undue harm to the civilian population of the South. He wanted to avoid battles that caused huge losses and would embitter each side against one another.McClellan believed that a war of strategy and out maneuvering the enemy would lead to the South believing it could not win and sue for peace.McClellan, in retrospect, to many historians believed that the war conducted by the British in the Revolution, which was not a blood & guts one, could be successful if done with the genius of a McClellan.The issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamationin the wake of Antietam, as example, was further evidence to McClellan that Lincoln ( as the South thought all along ) was not just waging a war to preserve the Union, but for the abolition of slavery and tearing apart the fabric of Southern society.Still, Lincoln, did not yet replace McClellan. A cynical view would be that until the assurance that the off- year Congressional elections and vital races for State Governor would favor Republicans, did Lincoln fire McClellan.Historians differ on this.
Why did the Statue of Zeus Burn down?
it was destroyed by a fire!
Was Lincoln decision to fire mcclellan a good one?
Yes. Try reading some of McClellan's letters to Lincoln. They reveal a lot. McClellan was all talk, no action.
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.
How did Lincoln feel about McClellan?
not doing his jobs in the battles which made Lincoln fire him too much
What did Lincoln wait to do until the union had a victory at Antietam?
fire McClellan
When did Lincoln fire McClellan?
On March 11, 1862. On March 11, 1862,Lincoln relieved McClellan as General-in-Chief and took direct command of the Union armies. On November 2, 1862, Lincoln named Ambrose E. Burnside as Commander of the Army of the Potomac, replacing McClellan.
What general did President Lincoln fire after the Battle of Antietam?
Based on his previous actions, and not just those at Antietam, Lincoln fired Major General George McClellan as general-in-chief of the Union armies and replaced him as commander of the Army of the Potomac with Ambrose Burnside.Lincoln was likely prompted by what he saw as the indecisive, overcautious nature of McClellan, who at Antietam thought that he was outnumbered when it was very much the reverse.
What was the internal political reason that caused President Lincoln to relieve General George B McClellan on November 7 1862?
Union General George B. McClellan was a War Democrat. He held a high position in the eyes of many Northern people. Since he and President Lincoln were at odds politically, Lincoln had to wait until after the November off-year elections to fire McClellan. If he had done this prior to the elections, more Democrats would be elected to Congress and in state governors.
How did Union General Ambrose Burnside keep General McClellan from committing political suicide?
When General George B. McClellan was reappointed to head the Army of the Potomac, the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton had opposed this move by Lincoln and made it clear to Lincoln that McClellan was not to be 100% trusted. Stanton was correct and McClellan wanted to settle some personal scores with the Secretary. McClellan took Ambrose Burnside into his confidence and informed Burnside that he would force President Lincoln to fire Stanton, if he, McClellan, was to take up his new command. The ever loyal Ambrose, counseled against this and reminded the general to avoid politics at this time. McClellan agreed to his friends advice, but created a headquarters staff in Washington DC small and loyal only to himself. Anyone who was not a stout ally of McClellan was no longer part of the inner military circle that McClellan created. This is perhaps the reason that after McClellan was relieved of command after Antietam, Burnside turned Lincoln down two times to be McClellan's replacement. Only after the third request of Lincoln, did Burnside accept command. No one realized at the time, that Burnside would be the short lived third leader of the Army of the Potomac. Nor would he be the last one either.
What was the paradox of the Union victory at the US Civil War Battle of Antietam?
Union General George B. McClellan's narrow victory over the Army of Northern Virginia gave President Lincoln his opportunity to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. The irony of better said, the paradox of McClellan's victory allowed Lincoln to fire the general who won the battle.
What Union officer informed the New York Tribune of a plot to overthrow Lincoln's government?
On September 11, 1862, Union Colonel Thomas Key reportedly informed a reporter from the New York Tribune of a plot to overthrow President Lincoln's administration. Supposedly members of General George B. McClellan's staff are plotting treason. This is a leak or better said, perhaps "fake news" with the intention to fortify McClellan's demand that Lincoln must fire Secretary of War, William Stanton and give control of the war over to General McClellan.
How many times did President Lincoln fire McClellan?
7 famous generals were fired by Lincoln. They were: Irwin McDaniel, George B. McClellan (who was rehired and refired), John Pope, Joe Hooker, Franz Sigal (also fired twice), John C. Fremont (also fired twice), and William Rosecrans.
What cant a fire extinguisher put out?
Fire extinguishers are only intended for small fires. Any larger fire will need professional help, so the sooner the fire department is called, the sooner they will get there.
