Mclellan and the War in the East
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Mclellan and the War in the East Juliet Sturge George B. McClellan 1826-1885 ● 1846: Graduated second in his class from West Point ● Talented engineer and organizer ● Earned two brevets under Winfield Scott in Mexico ● Served at West Point ● 1857: Resigned and became a railroad engineer George B. McClellan ● April 1861: appointed Major General of Ohio Volunteers ● Rapid rise from retired captain to major general ○ Second to Winfield Scott ● July 1861: Commander of the Army of the Potomac until Nov. 1862 ● Nov. 1861: Worked for Scott’s retirement ○ Named in his place after he retired: General-in-Chief ● Dec 1861: Contracted typhoid and Union offensive plans were stalled ○ Lincoln called a special cabinet meeting ○ McClellan feared his authority was being taken Battle of Ball’s Bluff, October 21, 1861 ● Harrison’s Island, Leesburg, VA ● 300 men were sent to capture a Confederate camp that had been reported to Union General Stone ○ The “camp” was really just a line of trees ● Stone then sent more men for a routine reconnaissance mission ● During the reconnaissance mission the Union soldiers are seen by Confederates ● They begin fighting ○ Each side continues to send more troops ○ Unplanned battle lasts all day ○ Citizen soldiers, 1700 on each side ■ Inexperienced ● Union soldiers had modern rifles and artillery Battle of Ball’s Bluff ● Victory for the Confederates ○ Due to their use of terrain ● Casualties ○ Union: 223 killed, 226 wounded, and 553 prisoners ○ Confederate: 36 killed, 264 wounded, and 3 prisoners ● Death of Union Commander, Colonel Edward Baker ○ Only US Senator to die in battle ○ Friend of President Lincoln ● Major Political Ramifications ○ Congress established the Congressional Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War ○ Would lead to many Union commanders second guessing their decisions for the remainder of the war https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCntgNkXR8Y Peninsula Campaign, March 1862 ● First large scale offensive in Eastern Theater ● His intention was to ship the army from the Potomac River to Urbana on the Rappahannock River. ○ From there, the Union army would be able to march to Richmond virtually unopposed. ○ Johnston at Manassas would be too far away to intervene effectively before the fall of the Confederate capital. ● Potentially a good plan, but for it to work, McClellan would have to demonstrate speed and daring. ● Before McClellan could go through with his plan, General Joseph E. Johnston pulled his Confederate army from Manassas to Fredericksburg on March 7, 1862. ● Johnston's withdrawal invalidated the strategic strengths of McClellan's Urbanna plan. Peninsula Campaign ● Nevertheless, the Union general immediately offered a second amphibious operation to strike at Richmond by way of the Virginia Peninsula. ● McClellan began shipping his 121,500-strong army to Fort Monroe on March 17, 1862 ○ intending to move against Richmond by way of the York River. ● Many Southerners feared that if Richmond were to fall, the Confederacy might collapse. ● McClellan’s troops were slowed by heavy rains ● The army then was blocked by Magruder's 13,000-strong command entrenched along a 12-mile front Peninsula Campaign ● General Joseph E. Johnston began moving his entire Confederate army to the lower Peninsula. ● McClellan's men did make one attempt to break the midpoint of the Confederate line. ● Just as McClellan made his last preparations to unleash his heavy bombardment on the Confederate lines, Johnston abandoned the fortifications during the evening of May 3. ○ McClellan immediately attempted to cut off Johnston's retreat, ordering Brigadier General Edwin V "Bull" Sumner to attack the Confederate rearguard. The result was the bloody, indecisive May 5 Battle of Williamsburg. ● McClellan's army neared the outskirts of the Confederate capital by the end of May. Peninsula Campaign ● Taking advantage of heavy rains, which made the Chickahominy nearly impassable, Johnston attacked McClellan's army south of the river at Seven Pines/Fair Oaks. ● The poorly coordinated assaults on May 31 failed to destroy the exposed Union corps. ● Johnston was seriously wounded riding across the battlefield. ● The next day, June 1, 1862, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Confederate forces around Richmond. Peninsula Campaign ● McClellan largely overestimated Confederate troop sizes ○ Estimated: 115,500 vs. Reality: 45,000 ● Loss was blamed on McClellan moving too slowly ● McClellan blamed forces in Washington for failing to provide him with enough men or support ○ Outnumbered his opponents for the entire campaign Seven Days Battle June 25, 1862-July 1, 1862 ● Sickness in both armies ● Heavy rain ○ Difficulty of moving supplies ● Chickahominy river divided the Army of the Potomac ● General Lee reorganized his army and through the first three weeks of June emphasized the construction of earthen fortifications nearly encircling the city. ○ That unpopular directive earned Lee the derisive nickname “King of Spades.” ○ Lee had a plan for the salvation of Richmond, and those fortifications were essential. ● By erecting powerful defenses, he intended to leave a relatively small portion of his army to guard the direct line to Richmond while he took the balance and attacked McClellan. Seven Days Battles ● Confederate general Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson and his army were the most important components in Lee’s strategy. ● On June 8-9, Jackson completed the defeat of three Union armies in the Shenandoah Valley. ● With the Valley temporarily secure, Jackson could reinforce the capital. ● His 20,000 men would bring Lee closer to numerical parity with McClellan. ● Their arrival, under Lee’s plan, would trigger the offensive. ● Jackson’s men moved by railroad and by foot. When they approached Richmond from the northwest on June 26, Lee struck. Seven Days Battles ● Lee hoped, they could threaten McClellan’s supply railroad ○ triggering a decisive battle for the fate of Richmond ● The next week of operations produced six major battles and several smaller ones: Oak Grove (June 25), Beaver Dam Creek (June 26), Gaines’ Mill (June 27), Savage’s Station (June 29) Glendale (June 30), and Malvern Hill (July 1) ● This resulted in the Union army retreating to the banks of the James River. Seven Days Battles ● Lee had delivered many blows during the Seven Days that were effective in getting McClellan's’ forces out of Richmond ● However, this had been accomplished at a very high cost. ○ The Confederates lost 20,614 casualties compared to Union losses of 15,849. ● With Richmond secure, Lee’s army moved north, defeated Union forces at Cedar Mountain and Second Manassas (Bull Run), and then marched toward Maryland and the first invasion of the North. Seven Days Battles ● Significance ○ Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia ■ Beginning of “Lee Myth” ● Lee was the most respected man in the South ■ Raised hopes in South ○ Ended McClellan's Peninsula Campaign ○ “Emboldened” Lee to stay on the offensive General Robert E. Lee ■ Led to more victories by Lee (aside from Antietam) Battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862 ● After Lee wins at Cedar Mountain and 2nd Bull Run, he begins to invade the North ○ Pushes into Maryland, crossing the Potomac River ● Lee divides his troops ○ Sending half with Stonewall Jackson to capture the Union Garrison at Harper’s Ferry ● Lincoln put McClellan in charge of defending Washington D.C. from Lee’s invasion ● On Sept. 14 the Army of the Potomac forced Lee’s troops to retreat ○ Lee considered turning back to Virginia ○ Heard of Jackson’s capture of Harper’s Ferry ○ Decided to make a stand near Sharpsburg, Maryland ● ● Battle of Antietam ● Sept. 15-16 Union and Confederate troops gathered on opposite sides of the Antietam creek ○ McClellan’s strategy was to attack left, then right, and lastly move towards the center ○ On the Confederate side Jackson would command the left flank while Longstreet commanded the center and right ● On Sept 17 the strategy quickly broke down ○ leading to a series of uncoordinated advances by Union soldiers under the command of Generals Joseph Hooker, Joseph Mansfield and Edwin Sumner. ● The battle continued for eight hours ○ COnfederates were pushed back but not yet beaten ● Union General Ambrose Burnside then attacked the Confederate right Battle of Antietam ● The sun set and both armies held their ground despite huge casualties ○ Single bloodiest day in American history ○ 23,000 casualties from both sides ● McClellan’s center never moved forward ○ Large number of Union troops never participated in the battle ● On Sept. 18 both sides buried their dead and gathered their wounded https://www.civilwar.org/learn /videos/battle-antietam ● Lee and his troops return to Virginia ● Lincoln was angry that Lee had escaped ● But used the “victory” to issue the Emancipation Proclamation O.P.C.V.L. Origin: Letter from Lincoln to top Union General George B. McClellan. Oct. 13, 1862 Purpose: Lincoln urges McClellan to be more decisive and less cautious and not constantly overestimate his enemy. He also gives him advice for his next move and how to conduct himself. ● “You remember my speaking to you of what I called your over-cautiousness.” ● “I say “try”; if we never try, we shall never succeed” ● “It is all easy if our troops march as well as the enemy; and it is unmanly to say they can not do it.” Value: It is a letter from the President to one of his top generals. It gives insight into what Lincoln thought of one of his top military leaders. The letter also shows what Lincoln wanted from one of his generals during the Civil War. O.P.C.V.L. Limitation: Lincoln is being more polite then he perhaps wanted to since McClellan was a major part of the Union army and was very well respected by the troops. ● “You know I desired, but did not order, you to…” ● “ Lincoln assured Little Mac that his letter was ‘in no sense an order.’ Lincoln feared that this admonition would have little effect, even though it implicitly gave McClellan only one last chance to redeem himself.” –Michael Burlingame, Abraham Lincoln: A Life” ● “This letter is in no sense an order.” George B.