Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan
Born: December 3, 1826
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: October 29, 1885
Orange, New Jersey
West Point: 1846
Brevet 2nd Lieutenant: 1846
Brevet 1st Lieutenant:
Captain: March 1855
Resigned Commission: January 16, 1857
Maj. General: April 23, 1861 ~ Ohio Volunteers
Maj. General: May 3, 1861 ~ Regular Army
The following articles are from HistoryNet.com dated 21 August 2023:
In God We Trust: Did George B. McClellan Suffer from a Messianic Complex
McClellan: Did He Have the 'Slows' or a Supply Crisis?
McClellan's War-Winning Strategy
1842: Entered West Point at age of 15 - West Point wavered the minimum age of 16
June 1846: West Point Graduate - 2nd in class of 56
March 9 - March 29, 1847: Siege of Vera Cruz
1849: Returned to West Point to train cadets in engineering
June 1851: Ordered to Fort Delaware to help in its construction
March 1852: Reported to Fort Smith, Arkansas as 2nd in command
Fall 1852: Published manual on Bayonet tactics translated from French
Fall 1852: Assignment to the Department of Texas
1853: Surveyed for Pacific Railroad
June 1854: Secret reconnaissance mission to Santa Domingo
March 1855: Promoted to Captain and assigned to the 1st U.S. Cavalry
1855 - 1856: Official observer of European armies in the Crimean War
1856: Wrote manual on cavalry tactics and redesigned the cavalry saddle to make it easier on the horse - still in use today
January 16, 1857: Resigned his commission
April 23, 1861: Commissioned Major General of Volunteers and given command of the Ohio Militia
May 3, 1861: Reinstated in Regular Army and named the Commander of Department of Ohio
May 14, 1861: Commissioned Major General and at age 34 was the 2nd highest ranking officer in the army
July 26, 1861: Appointed Commander of the Military Division of the Potomac
August 20, 1861: Formed the Army of the Potomac and was its first commander
November 1, 1861: General Winfield Scott retires and McClellan becomes General-in-Chief of all Union armies
July 11, 1861: Battle of Rich Mountain
March 11, 1862: President Lincoln removes McClellan as General-in-Chief but is still the Commander of Army of Potomac
March 17, 1862: Start of the Peninsula Campaign
April 5 - May 5, 1862: Siege of Yorktown
May 5, 1862: Battle of Williamsburg
During the Seven Days Battle, McClellan was absent from the battlefield
September 2, 1862: Against the objections of his Cabinet, President Lincoln names McClellan to command "the fortifications of Washington"
September 17, 1862: Battle of Antietam
November 7, 1862: Relived from duty handing command to Gen. Ambrose
1864: Nominated for President of Democratic Party
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 52
George B. McClellan. 20 August 2023. Web. 31 August 2023
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1964. p 290-292