because they wanted beaten so hard the southerners .
Former General George B. McClellan ran against Lincoln in 1864. 1864 Presidential Election The candidates for the Presidential election of 1864 were; Abraham Lincoln - Andrew Johnson (Republican), and George McClellan - G. H. Pendleton (Democratic). Abraham Lincoln won the election and was reelected into his second term. The 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln was in office from March 4, 1861 until April 15, 1865 when he was assassinated.
George McClellan, an indecisive Union commander who Abraham Lincoln dubbed as having a case of "the slows." While President Lincoln was unhappy with McClellan was clear. What dims the harsh term used against McClellan was the fact that on two occasions, President Lincoln first promoted him to General in Chief, then reversed himself, then after relieving him of duty with regards to the Army of the Potomac, Lincoln then reappointed him to lead that army over the objections of his cabinet.
Robert E. Lee led the south George B. McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, and George G. Meade all failed when leading the north, so Ulysses S.Grant became the permanent general During the Civil War, the President of the Confederacy was Jefferson Davis, and Abraham Lincoln was the President of the Union.
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.
Two of them did. McClellan was excessively cautious and lost many opportunities to capture Richmond. Also the General-in-Chief Henry Halleck believed in occupying territory rather than destroying armies, so he too missed many big opportunities.
President Lincoln did second guess himself for a while. This is because General McClellan had years of extensive industry and military experience. Lincoln, however, would soon find a replacement for the ousted General.
In early July of 1862, US President Lincoln summoned General Henry W. Halleck to come to Washington DC. Lincoln had already decided to give Halleck command of all Federal armies, which of course included General Geprge B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac. Halleck's fist assignment was to see if McClellan was willing to retry his assault on the Confederate capital of Richmond. Lincoln had focused on the fall of Richmond since the beginning of the war. Halleck was informed that McClellan would have to use the troops he already had. If McClellan refused, Halleck was to relieve him and withdraw the army back to Washington DC and an entirely new campaign could be formulated.
President Lincoln had left the position of general in chief vacant since he had taken away that title from General George B. McClellan. On July 11, 1862, Lincoln named General Henry W. Halleck to be the Union's new general in chief.
US President Lincoln had promoted General Henry Halleck to be the Union's general in chief. His first major decision was in the Summer of 1862 when he ordered General McClellan to retreat from the Peninsula and return with his army to Washington.
US President Lincoln was impressed by General Halleck's performance in the West. He appointed him to be general in chief of all Union military forces on July 11, 1862. The previous general in chief had been General George B. McClellan.
Based on the problems created by Union General George B. McClellan, Halleck was sent to McClellan's headquarters in Eastern Virginia. At his place of retreat, Halleck and Quartermaster General Meigs needed to determine whether the Army of the Potomac needed the 20,000 extra troops McClellan claimed were required to save the Peninsula Campaign. If not, or due some other problem, McClellan would be ordered to return to Northern Virginia.
The failed Peninsula Campaign in July 1862 was frustrating for Lincoln. One result of this was Lincoln's appointment of General Halleck as general in chief. Halleck was thus appointed at this time to handle General George B. McClellan's problems.
President Lincoln sent his newly appointed General in Chief Henry Wager Halleck to visit General McClellan at his headquarters on the Peninsula in July of 1862. McClellan refused to take the a second offensive against Richmond unless he was reinforced. Halleck immediately saw the Union's disadvantage in this situation. Unless Confederate General Lee perceived McClellan as a threat to Richmond, he would be free to use his interior lines to attack either McClellan or the new army in Virginia under the command of General Pope. Halleck's decision proved to be eventful. He ordered McClellan to leave the Peninsula and reinforce Pope in northern Virginia.
President Lincoln believed the position of general in chief needed to be restored. With that said, he appointed General Henry Halleck to that position in July of 1862. Lincoln would come to regret that decision.
Major General Henry Wager Halleck was one of the key Union generals during the US Civil War. At one time US President Lincoln named him general in chief, replacing George McClellan. Halleck taught French at West Point.
US President Lincoln had faith in the abilities of General Henry W. Halleck. Lincoln created a new Department of the Mississippi. This was a large area and made Halleck the top general in the West.
When President Lincoln promoted Major General Henry W. Halleck as the new general in chief, Halleck had more than one problem confronting him. Part of the reason for this was that after Lincoln removed McClellan from the general in chief position, too many months passed before Lincoln designated Halleck to fill this crucial position. Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton took on that role to the detriment of the Union's war efforts. Aside from the disaster of the Peninsula campaign and what to do with Major General George B. McClellan, Halleck faced problems in the West. His departure from the West caused a loss of unity in that critical area. Halleck had no real candidates to fill his old position and had resolved to reorganize the Western department. He also faced the new political pressures that Washington DC presented to him.