Lincoln and McClellan at War

by Chester G. Hearn

Overview

At the beginning of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and his highest-ranking general, George B. McClellan, agreed that the United States must preserve the Union. Their differing strategies for accomplishing that goal, however, created constant conflict. In Lincoln and McClellan at War, Chester G. Hearn explores this troubled relationship, revealing its complexity and showing clearly why the two men — both inexperienced with war — eventually parted ways. A staunch Democrat who never lost his acrimony toward Republicans — including the president — McClellan first observed Lincoln as an attorney representing the Illinois Central Railroad and immediately disliked him. This underlying bias followed thirty-five-year-old McClellan into his role as general-in-chief of the Union army. Lincoln, a man without military training, promoted McClellan on the advice of cabinet members and counted on "Little Mac" to whip the army into shape and end the war quickly. McClellan comported himself with great confidence and won Lincoln's faith by brilliantly organizing the Army of the Potomac. Later, however, he lost Lincoln's trust by refusing to send what he called "the best army on the planet" into battle. The more frustrated Lincoln grew with McClellan's inaction, the more Lincoln studied authoritative works on military strategy and offered strategic combat advice to the general. McClellan resented the president's suggestions and habitually deflected them. Ultimately, Lincoln removed McClellan for what the president termed "the slows." According to Hearn, McClellan's intransigence stemmed largely from his reluctance to fight offensively. Thoroughly schooled in European defensive tactics, McClellan preferred that approach to fighting the war. His commander-in-chief, on the other hand, had a preference for using offensive tactics. This compelling study of two important and diverse figures reveals how personality and politics prolonged the Civil War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807145524
Publisher:	Louisiana State University Press
Publication date:	11/05/2012
Series:	Voices of the South
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Chester G. Hearn is the author of Six Years of Hell: Harpers Ferry during the Civil War; When the Devil Came Down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans; The Capture of New Orleans, 1862; Ellet's Brigade: The Strangest Outfit of All; and Lincoln, the Cabinet, and the Generals.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 "It is impossible for him to lead" 7

2 "Come hither without delay" 19

3 "The people trust him" 32

4 "I can do it all" 45

5 "All quiet on the Potomac" 55

6 "He doesn't intend to do anything" 73

7 "McClellan seems not to value time especially" 87

8 "The stride of a giant" 97

9 "But you must act" 108

10 "I shall aid you all I can" 120

11 "I almost begin to think we are invincible" 136

12 "I have no reinforcements to send you" 154

13 "He is troubled with the 'slows'" 170

14 "If I cannot whip Bobbie Lee …" 185

15 "It is the people's business" 206

Notes 223

Bibliography 241

Index 249