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During that conflict, he was at Malan, Camargo, Tampico, and Vera
Cruz. After the fall of Vera Cruz, he took an active part in the
battle of Cerro Gordo, April 17-18, 1847, and the unsuccessful
attack on the left against the triple batteries that swept the road.
A second attack was rendered unnecessary by the fall of the Cerro de
Telegrafe.
He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on April 24th, and took part in
the battles of Contreras and Churubusco (August 18-19) and the
assault and capture of the city of Mexico (September 13-14).
He received the brevet of 1st Lieutenant "for gallant and
meritorious conduct at Contreras and Churubusco," and the brevet of
Captain for his part in the assault of Chapultepec.
In 1848, after the Mexican War ended, McClellan served at West
Point as assistant instructor of practical engineering. In 1852 he
was with Captain Marcy (later his father-in-law) on an exploration
of the upper Red River, between Texas and the Indian territory; and
afterward he was engineer-in-charge of explorations and surveys in
Texas. In 1853 he served on engineer duty in Oregon and Washington
territories, and later was employed as engineer on the western
division of the Northern Pacific railroad.
In March 1855, McClellan was appointed a Captain in the 1st U.S.
Cavalry. That same year, he was sent to Europe as a member of a
military commission to report on the condition of the European
armies, and to observe the operations of both sides in the Crimean
war. His colleagues were Colonel Richard Delafield of the engineers,
and Major Alfred Mordecai of the ordnance corps. The
individual reports of these officers were published by Congress.
McClellan's was notable for its detail and accuracy, and was
republished in 1861 with the title "The Armies of Europe."
On January 18th, 1857, Captain McClellan resigned his commission
to accept a position in industry as chief engineer of the Illinois
Central Railroad. He became railroad's vice-president in 1858.
In 1859, he was elected president of the eastern division of the
Ohio and Mississippi railroad, residing in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1860
he was made President of the St. Louis, Missouri, and Cincinnati
railroad, a position he held until the outbreak of the Civil War in
1861.
On April 23rd, 1861, McClellan was appointed Major-General of
Ohio volunteers, and placed in command of the Department of the
Ohio, which included the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, with
portions of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Rapidly taking the field, he
crossed the Ohio on May 26th into Virginia and occupied Parkersburg.
This advance into West Virginia, he claimed, was made "without
orders, and entirely of his own volition." During an eight day
campaign, McClellan drove the enemy from the great Kanawha, and
captured 1,000 prisoners. He wrote to Washington that "he had
completely annihilated the enemy in western Virginia."
On May 14th, McClellan was appointed a Major-General and
immediately after the battle of Bull Run, McClellan was called to
Washington, and on July 27th he was given command of the Department
of Washington and Northeastern Virginia. While reorganizing the Army
of the Potomac, he was given command on August 20th. Upon the
retirement of General Winfield Scott, on November 1st, McClellan was
made commander of all the armies of the United States.
It was not until March 1862, that McClellan put the army in
motion again towards Manassas. The enemy, however, had
evacuated the position the day before. Shortly thereafter, McClellan
began his Peninsula Campaign, landing at Fort Monroe, which would be
a base of operations, with the intention of proceeding by the James
River to Richmond. Another was to proceed by York river with the
co-operation of the navy. The Army of the Potomac began moving via
Alexandria from March 17th to April 6th by water to Hampton Roads,
and landed at Old Point Comfort. As soon as he ledt Washington his
opponents declared he had left the capital undefended. Among
other intrigues, McDowell's corps of 40,000 men was diverted from
marching southward to join McClellan's campaign. McClellan was
also relieved from the command-in-chief by a published order that
had not been communicated to him before, and became simply commander
of the Army of the Potomac.
During the Peninsula Campaign, McClellan led his forces - with
characteristic caution - through the battles of Yorktown,
Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, and the Seven Days. The advance up
the peninsula stagnated, and then began to reverse. Having
lost the confidence of the President and his advisers, neither
McClellan's requests for additional troops nor his advice was
heeded. On July 11th General Henry Halleck was made
general-in-chief, and on August 3rd McClellan was ordered to
evacuate the peninsula. He was directed also to repair in person
first to Fort Monroe and then to Alexandria, and was relieved of his
command and ordered to send every available soldier to the new army
of Virginia under General John Pope.
The second battle of Bull Run, August 30th, 1862, was even more
disastrous than the first, and on September 2nd, General Pope
resigned his command. In this emergency the government looked again
towards McClellan as the only man who could inspire confidence and
bring order out of chaos. Flushed with recent victories, Robert E.
Lee was marching into Maryland. McClellan would need to meet
and check Lee's advance with the remnants of Pope's army and the
Army of the Potomac. He marched into Maryland parallel with Lee, who
had advanced as far as Frederick. On the approach of McClellan, Lee
fell back to Turner's and Crampton's Gaps in the South Mountain,
where he was defeated and driven back. On the September 16th, Lee
still had only two divisions across the Potomac, but McClellan's
forces did not come into position until the 17th. At daylight
on the morning of the 17th, the engagement at Antietam began.
The battle saw horrific losses on both sides, but McClellan retained
the field when Lee withdrew.
However, McClellan did not attempt any swift pursuit, save one
reconnaissance in force towards Shepherdstown, which met sharp
resistance. Lee had crossed the Potomac at his leisure.
McClellan then followed, advancing his army between Longstreet's
corps and the main body under Lee, and halted at Warrenton to
recruit. Washington was critical of McClellan for his delay,
and urgent orders were sent, imploring him to move. At last an order
from the President came on November 7th, relieving McClellan of
command, and conferring it upon General Burnside. McClellan was
directed to await orders at Trenton, New Jersey, and afterward at
New York.
Many in the army as well as in the public idolized "Little Mac",
and in 1863 he visited Boston, where he was received
enthusiastically. In 1864 he was chosen to deliver the oration
at West Point on the occasion of the unveiling of the monument
erected to the memory of the officers and soldiers of the Regular
Army. He took no further part in the war, and dedicated time towards
the preparation of his "Report on the Organization and Campaigns of
the Army of the Potomac," which was published by the government. He
also published an edition himself, with a preliminary account of the
campaign in western Virginia.
In August 1864, McClellan was nominated by the Democratic party
as their candidate for the presidency of the United States. However,
Lincoln's popularity had been growing as successes in the war also
grew. During the election of 1864, McClellan received just 21
electoral votes against 212, though his share of the popular vote
was more impressive - he had won 1,800,000 votes against 2,200,000.
McClellan resigned his commission in the Army on September 8th,
1864, and immediately after the election he went to Europe, where he
remained until 1868. On his return, he took up residence in New York
City. In 1868-69, he was retained to complete the Stevens iron-clad
floating battery for harbor defense. He declined the presidency of
the University of California in 1868, and that of Union college in
1869. From 1870-71, he was engineer-in-chief of the Department
of Docks of the City of New York. In 1881 he was appointed by
Congress as a member of the Board of Managers of the National Home
for Disabled Soldiers, an office he held until his death.
During these latter years, McClellan's principal residence was in
Orange, New Jersey, but in the winters he resided in New York or
Washington. He was elected governor of New Jersey in 1877, served
for one term with credit, and declined a renomination. He made
several tours in Europe, publishing his observations in magazine
articles. He also authored several monographs illustrating his
campaigns and trying to vindicate his reputation. In 1885,
McClellan died suddenly at his country residence.
An accomplished engineer and student of military history, he had
no superior in his systematic knowledge of wars, battles, and
tactics. He devised the McClellan saddle in 1856, which proved
useful and popular. His writings include "A Manual of Bayonet
Exercise," adapted from the French (1852); "Government Reports of
Pacific Railroad Surveys" (1854)" "Report on the Organization and
Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac" (1864)" papers in "Harper's
Magazine," 1874-'7, and in "Scribner's" on Egypt and the Nile.
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