George McClellan

     Born the third of December, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennysylvania, George McClellan was a General of the Union during the Civil War. He succeeded General Irvin McDowell to command the troops in the Washington area after the disaster at Bull Run and later on he would become General in Chief when General Winfield Scott retires. For a military man, McClellan was quite cautious and spent the fall and winter training his men, causing Lincoln to become frustrated with him for waiting so long before going into the field. Then, after Lincoln stripped him of his high command position and sent him in at the head of the Potomac Army, McClellan began campaigning. He moved his troops to Fortress Monroe, a peninsula southeast of the Confederate Capital. From there he move on to lay Yorktown under siege and eventually was victorious in conquering it on May fourth. It McClellan had been bolder, he might have been able to capture Richmond with the forces he had with him at the time. However, because of his cautious nature and difficult communication, he faltered and Confederates under Joseph E. Johnston were able to take the offensive side. Later, Lincoln demoted General John Pope from Head of the Potomac and reappointed McClellan again. Then in September, McClellan was once again demoted and position of Head of Potomac given to Ambrose E. Burnside.