Showing results for "George B. McClellan"
McClellan Misses An Opportunity: The Peninsula and Combined Arms
In the spring of 1862 Major General George McClellan landed his massive Federal force on the Virginia Peninsula with plans to advance on Richmond. His original concept had been to land at Urbanna, on the Rappahannock River… at the time, General Joseph’s Johnston’s Confederate army was stationed near Manassas. From Urbanna, McClellan could cut Johnston […]
Read more...Southerners Have Fun with McClellan’s “Change of Base”
At the end of the day, June 27, 1862, George McClellan knew he had been whipped. Fitz John Porter’s V Corps had been fiercely attacked. Its center had broken and Porter’s troops retreated, leaving behind twenty-two guns.1 Porter was north of the Chickahominy; the rest of the army lay encamped to its south.2 Mac, in […]
Read more...McClellan Addresses the 5th Wisconsin
On May 7, 1862, General George B. McClellan reviewed and spoke to the men of the 5th Wisconsin, who two days before had helped win the Battle of Williamsburg. Since the 2d Wisconsin fought at First Manassas, this was the most prominent Badger action in Virginia, and would not be passed until August 1862. McClellan’s […]
Read more...America’s First Air Force: Union Aeronauts and McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign, Part Four – Davis, Lee, and Longstreet Were Standing in a Field
ECW welcomes back guest author Jeff Ballard Read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. Serving as an airborne sentry was the first, and perhaps the most obvious role of the balloon on the battlefield and Lowe’s balloons gave McClellan unparalleled visibility. At an altitude of 1000 feet, and with good weather, observers could see […]
Read more...America’s First Air Force: Union Aeronauts and McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign Part One – Maker of Water
ECW welcomes guest author Jeff Ballard On the last day of May 1862, Lieutenant E. Walter West, U.S. Army, peered through his field glasses and noted Confederate infantry preparing to attack the Union position straddling the Richmond & York Railroad at Fair Oaks Station. West was uniquely positioned to observe the action, being suspended 1,000 […]
Read more...Could McClellan Have Been Someone Other Than McClellan?
Today is November 7, the anniversary of Little Mac’s final removal from command of the Army of the Potomac in 1862. I’ve been thinking about George McClellan lately, spurred by some writing I’ve been doing about him for an upcoming book as well as because of a remark made almost in passing in an audiobook […]
Read more...New Articles Will Help You Rethink McClellan
Probably the most notable thing about George McClellan’s final month and a half in command of the Army of the Potomac are the zingers Lincoln tosses at the general for the army’s inactivity. By that point in their relationship, even Lincoln’s seemingly bottomless reserves of patience had become noticeably frayed. When Lincoln expressed concerns about […]
Read more...Additional Podcast Resources: “McClellan’s Last Days in Command”
Did you catch the newest episode of the Emerging Civil War Podcast last week? Since Kevin Pawlak and Chris Mackowski talked about McClellan’s last weeks in command, we thought it would be a great time to pull some “McClellan focused posts” from the ECW archive for the additional resources. Enjoy!
Read more...Hanover Court House: McClellan’s High Tide on the Peninsula
(Part of a chapter from an upcoming book on the Peninsula Campaign) In late May 1862, Union General George McClellan advanced his massive army to the outskirts of Richmond. On his far right, he ordered Fitz John Porter, commander of the V Corps, to advance towards Hanover Court House and drive the enemy from the […]
Read more...