Union General John A. McClernand and the Politics of Command

by Christopher C. Meyers

Overview

John A. McClernand was a career politician, and those ambitions and qualities continued during his Civil War service. A member of the Illinois General Assembly and a U.S. Representative for 10 years, McClernard was connected to other prominent figures of the time such as Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. However, he is best known for his rivalry with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and this biography balances McClernard's political career with his military leadership and his place in the Union command structure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786459605
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/25/2010
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Christopher C. Meyers is professor of American history at Valdosta State University. He has contributed articles to The Georgia Historical Quarterly, The Journal of Southwest Georgia History, Columbiad and edited a volume on Georgia history.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

1 Glory Hunting in Illinois 5

2 Congressman from Illinois 18

3 The Sectional Conflict 30

4 The Secession Crisis 47

5 "Three Cheers for the Union": Belmont 61

6 "The Death-Knell of Rebellion Is Sounded": Forts Henry and Donelson 73

7 Into the Confederate Heartland 88

8 The Mississippi Expedition 102

9 "We Have Disposed of This Tough Little Nut": The Arkansas Post/Fort Hindman Campaign 119

10 "Warriors Stripped for the Conflict": Vicksburg and Removal 132

11 Recriminations, Red River, Resignation 150

12 The Politics of Command 158

Epilogue 169

Appendix: Organization of Troops Commanded John A. McClernand 173

Chapter Notes 177

Bibliography 199

Index 205

Editorial Reviews

supplies buffs with well-grounded debating points”—Booklist; “breathes life into the wilting field of Civil War military biography...promises to make historians pause and reflect upon the untold importance of McClernand as a meteoric figure of the Civil War”—H-Net Reviews; “presents a biography of this notoriously arrogant and ill-tempered Illinois politician and Civil War general. Arguing that McClernand’s real value to the Union Military cause lay in his prominence as a Democratic party politician and his ties to Stephen Douglas, this work examines his pre-war political career in order to create a more balanced portrait of the general and to discuss the ways in which McClernand politicized the war. The volume includes numerous black and white photographs and maps”—Reference & Research Book News.

From the Publisher

"presents a biography of this notoriously arrogant and ill-tempered Illinois politician and Civil War general. Arguing that McClernand's real value to the Union Military cause lay in his prominence as a Democratic party politician and his ties to Stephen Douglas, this work examines his pre-war political career in order to create a more balanced portrait of the general and to discuss the ways in which McClernand politicized the war. The volume includes numerous black and white photographs and maps"

Reference & Research Book News

breathes life into the wilting field of Civil War military biography...promises to make historians pause and reflect upon the untold importance of McClernand as a meteoric figure of the Civil War

H-Net Reviews

supplies buffs with well-grounded debating points

Booklist

Well-grounded debating points

Booklist/RBB