America At War - Concise Histories Of U.S. Military Conflicts From Lexington To Afghanistan by Terence T. Finn Page A
Authors: Terence T. Finn
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North who, anticipating early success on the battlefield, had expected a quick return to the political fold on the part of the South.
Two additional events associated with the Southern victory at Bull Run are worth mentioning. The first took place during the battle. The second occurred afterward. The first event explains one of the most famous nicknames in all of American history. During the early hours of the fight, when Northern troops appeared to have their Southern counterparts on the run, a senior Confederate commander, Thomas Jackson, effectively rallied his troops. Another Southern general pointed this out to his own wavering men, exclaiming, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall.” Henceforth, General Jackson had a moniker that would stay with him forever.
The second event associated with the July 1861 engagement at Bull Run was the appointment of a new commander of the Army of the Potomac. President Lincoln relieved McDowell, who fades from our story. His successor was a West Point graduate by the name of George B. McClellan.
An extremely capable military executive, McClellan retooled the Army of the Potomac. Under his leadership, the army, dispirited by its performance at Bull Run, became a first-rate fighting force. No longer a collection of amateurs, the Army of the Potomac was transformed into a body of men willing and able to fight. Having selected many of its top officers and attending to the needs of ordinary soldiers, McClellan was revered by the 120,000 he would lead into battle. The Army of the Potomac was his army.
Much was expected of this force and of its commander. Northern newspapers heaped praise on McClellan, who came to see himself, as did others, as the savior of the American republic. Lincoln was more perceptive, but he hoped the young general—McClellan was only thirty-four—would swiftly move his army south and take Richmond.
The general, however, procrastinated. In a pattern that would repeat itself, he delayed his departure, asking for more troops and more equipment, justifying his action by exaggerating the size of the opposing army. Abraham Lincoln said McClellan had “the slows.” Frustrated, the president pushed hard to get the general to move, which he finally did, in March 1862.
Instead of taking his army overland to Richmond, McClellan moved south via the navy, landing his troops on the peninsula bounded by the York and James Rivers. Richmond lay not far to the west. He thus kept his supply lanes free from attack and avoided battle while in transit. Methodically and slowly, as was his style, McClellan advanced, eventually coming within five miles of the Confederate capital.
Known to historians as the Peninsula Campaign, McClellan’s efforts in late spring and early summer of 1862 did not succeed. A number of battles took place, not all of which the Union army lost. Yet the net result was failure, for Richmond remained under Southern control. Disheartened, the Army of the Potomac withdrew from the peninsula in August.
In one of the early battles on the Peninsula, the general commanding Confederate forces was wounded and had to be replaced. His successor was Robert E. Lee, who, with ninety thousand men, the largest number of soldiers ever to comprise the Army of Northern Virginia, proceeded to outmaneuver the Union forces. However, the cost to the South was high. During the campaign, Lee suffered more than twenty thousand casualties. McClellan, who blamed his defeat on everyone but himself, paid in blood as well: the Union army had more than fifteen thousand killed or wounded.
These losses, as well as subsequent ones, upset McClellan on a personal level. He felt the pain of his men and worked hard to secure medical treatment for them. Given his reaction to the dead and wounded, it’s not clear that George B. McClellan had the stomach to do what generals must.
As the Army of the Potomac began its campaign on the peninsula, a clash of a different sort took place at
Two additional events associated with the Southern victory at Bull Run are worth mentioning. The first took place during the battle. The second occurred afterward. The first event explains one of the most famous nicknames in all of American history. During the early hours of the fight, when Northern troops appeared to have their Southern counterparts on the run, a senior Confederate commander, Thomas Jackson, effectively rallied his troops. Another Southern general pointed this out to his own wavering men, exclaiming, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall.” Henceforth, General Jackson had a moniker that would stay with him forever.
The second event associated with the July 1861 engagement at Bull Run was the appointment of a new commander of the Army of the Potomac. President Lincoln relieved McDowell, who fades from our story. His successor was a West Point graduate by the name of George B. McClellan.
An extremely capable military executive, McClellan retooled the Army of the Potomac. Under his leadership, the army, dispirited by its performance at Bull Run, became a first-rate fighting force. No longer a collection of amateurs, the Army of the Potomac was transformed into a body of men willing and able to fight. Having selected many of its top officers and attending to the needs of ordinary soldiers, McClellan was revered by the 120,000 he would lead into battle. The Army of the Potomac was his army.
Much was expected of this force and of its commander. Northern newspapers heaped praise on McClellan, who came to see himself, as did others, as the savior of the American republic. Lincoln was more perceptive, but he hoped the young general—McClellan was only thirty-four—would swiftly move his army south and take Richmond.
The general, however, procrastinated. In a pattern that would repeat itself, he delayed his departure, asking for more troops and more equipment, justifying his action by exaggerating the size of the opposing army. Abraham Lincoln said McClellan had “the slows.” Frustrated, the president pushed hard to get the general to move, which he finally did, in March 1862.
Instead of taking his army overland to Richmond, McClellan moved south via the navy, landing his troops on the peninsula bounded by the York and James Rivers. Richmond lay not far to the west. He thus kept his supply lanes free from attack and avoided battle while in transit. Methodically and slowly, as was his style, McClellan advanced, eventually coming within five miles of the Confederate capital.
Known to historians as the Peninsula Campaign, McClellan’s efforts in late spring and early summer of 1862 did not succeed. A number of battles took place, not all of which the Union army lost. Yet the net result was failure, for Richmond remained under Southern control. Disheartened, the Army of the Potomac withdrew from the peninsula in August.
In one of the early battles on the Peninsula, the general commanding Confederate forces was wounded and had to be replaced. His successor was Robert E. Lee, who, with ninety thousand men, the largest number of soldiers ever to comprise the Army of Northern Virginia, proceeded to outmaneuver the Union forces. However, the cost to the South was high. During the campaign, Lee suffered more than twenty thousand casualties. McClellan, who blamed his defeat on everyone but himself, paid in blood as well: the Union army had more than fifteen thousand killed or wounded.
These losses, as well as subsequent ones, upset McClellan on a personal level. He felt the pain of his men and worked hard to secure medical treatment for them. Given his reaction to the dead and wounded, it’s not clear that George B. McClellan had the stomach to do what generals must.
As the Army of the Potomac began its campaign on the peninsula, a clash of a different sort took place at
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