By Chester G. Hearn
At the beginning of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln
and his highest-ranking general, George B. McClellan, agreed that the United
States must preserve the Union. Their differing strategies for accomplishing
that goal, however, created constant conflict. In Lincoln and McClellan at War,
Chester G. Hearn explores this troubled relationship, revealing its complexity
and showing clearly why the two men--both inexperienced with war--eventually
parted ways.
A staunch Democrat who never lost his acrimony toward
Republicans--including the president--McClellan first observed Lincoln as an
attorney representing the Illinois Central Railroad and immediately disliked
him. This underlying bias followed thirty-five-year-old McClellan into his role
as general-in-chief of the Union army. Lincoln, a man without military training,
promoted McClellan on the advice of cabinet members and counted on ''Little
Mac'' to whip the army into shape and end the war quickly. McClellan comported
himself with great confidence and won Lincoln's faith by brilliantly organizing
the Army of the Potomac. Later, however, he lost Lincoln's trust by refusing to
send what he called ''the best army on the planet'' into battle. The more
frustrated Lincoln grew with McClellan's inaction, the more Lincoln studied
authoritative works on military strategy and offered strategic combat advice to
the general. McClellan resented the president's suggestions and habitually
deflected them. Ultimately, Lincoln removed McClellan for what the president
termed ''the slows.''
According to Hearn, McClellan's intransigence stemmed
largely from his reluctance to fight offensively. Thoroughly schooled in
European defensive tactics, McClellan preferred that approach to fighting the
war. His commander-in-chief, on the other hand, had a preference for using
offensive tactics. This compelling study of two important and diverse figures
reveals how personality and politics prolonged the Civil War.
ISBN 978-0807145524, Louisiana State University Press, ©
2012, Hardcover, 280 pages, Maps, End Notes, Bibliography &
Index. $45.00
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