Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/679

* McCLELLAN. 599 McCLERNAND. Delaware; was chief engineer in charge of the coast survejs in Texas; collected railroad statis- tics for the War Department; and was one of the three officers appointed on the military commis- sion to visit the seat of war in the Crimea and re- port upon the condition of the European armies. On his return in 1857 he resigned his commission, and became successivelj- chief engineer and vice- president of the Illinois Central Railroad, and president of the Saint Louis and Cincinnati Kail- road. At the opening of the Civil War he was appointed to the position of major-general of the Ohio volunteers, and made a successful campaign in what later became West Virginia, driving out the enemy and capturing 1000 prisoners. For this he received the thanks of Congress, and after the first disaster to the Federals, at Bull Run. was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac. Upon the retirement of Lieutenant-General Scott in November, 1861, he was appointed commander of the armies of the United States. He spent the winter in reorganizing and drilling his forces, and in ilarch, 1862. he removed to the Yorktown Pe- ninsula in order to attack Richmond from that base. President Lincoln was continually insisting upon a forward movement, but instead of follow- ing his advice. McClellan sat down before York- town and began a scientific siege of the place. After its evacuation by the Confederates and the engagement at Williamsburg, ileClellan moved leisurely up the Peninsula only to be subjected to a great disappointment in the dispatch of ilc- Dowell's 40.000 men to the Shenandoah — an army upon whose aid JlcClellan had confident- ly counted. Then followed various engagements ending with the Seven Days' battles (q.v.), in which the Federal armies were generally successful, although the loss in men was large and Richmond was still untaken. There was dissatisfaction at Washington with the result, and in July McClellan was superseded by Halleck as General-inchief. He was then ordered to evacuate the Peninsula and go to the aid of Gen- eral Pope, then in command of the Army of Vir- ginia, but arrived too late to be of any great assistance. After the disastrous campaign of Pope, culminating in his defeat in the second battle of Bull Run, McClellan was again placed in active conmiand of the Array of the Potomac. Organizing his army as he proceeded, he followed Lee into Maryland, and with him fought the battle of Antietam (q.v.), September 16-17. 1862. This, though tactically a drawn battle, was stra- tegically a Federal victory ; but in view of the great disparity between the numerical strength of the two armies and of McClellan's failure vig- orously to pursue Lee's retreating army, the re- sult was not satisfactory to the Government, and in November he was superseded in his command by General Burnside. After this he took no fur- ther part in the war. McClellan always asserted that the Administration at Washington not only refused to cooperate with him in his military operations, but even attempted to discredit him on account of his political opinions. The Presi- dent and the Secretary of War. on the other hand, insisted that General McClellan was not aggres- sive and prompt enough in the circumstances, but too often pursued a dilatory policy, which caused him to win only fruitless victories, and that he disregarded the advice and sugse<tinns of the commander-in-chief. General JlcClellan was remarkably popular with his soldiers, over whom he exerted a wonderful influence, and who affec- tionately called him 'Little Mac' In 1864 he was nominated by the Democratic Party as its candidate for President of the United States on a platform which denounced the war as a failure. To this view, however, McClellan did not sub- scribe, and in his letter of acceptance he advocat- ed a vigorous prosecution of the war. He was defeated by Lincoln. In the Electoral College the vote stood 212 for Lincoln and 21 for Mc- Clellan, while the popular vote for Lincoln was 2,200.000 and for McClellan 1,800,000. Al- ready in September he had resigned from the army, and after the election went to Europe, where he remained until 1868. Upon his return he settled in New York, where he was engaged in various engineering enterprises until 1877, when he was elected Governor of New Jersey, having in the meantime acquired a residence in that State. He served with credit for one term, but declined a renomination. He died suddenly of heart disease at his home in Orange, N. J., October 29, 1885, and was buried at Trenton. As a scientific engineer and military tactician, McClellan had few superiors. Among his literary works may be mentioned an auto- biography entitled McClellan's Gun fitorij, and various reports on military campaigns and mili- tary organization. The most recent and thor- ough biography of General McClellan is that of Michie (New York, 1901). in the "Great Com- manders Series." Consult also: Rhodes, The First Six Weeks of McClellan's Peninsular Cam- paign, published by the Massachusetts His'- torical Society: and Ropes, Story of the Ciiil ^yar, vol. ii. (New York, 189.5). McCLEN ACTT A N,, ma-klen'a-kan, Charles Thompson (1829 — ). An American lawyer, born in Washington, D. C. He graduated at German- town College, and from 1845 to 1850 was an in- structor in the New York Institute for the Blind. In 1850-61 he was clerk of the board of council- men of New York City, during the Civil War was quartermaster of the Seventh New York Regi- ment, and in 1867 was admitted to the bar. For man}- years he was successively connected with the street and public works departments of his native city. His works inclvide: The Laics of the Fire Department ( 18.55) ; The Atlantic Telegraph Cable of ISoS (1863); and The Book of the Ancient Acre/, led Rite of Scottish Freemasonry. McCLEE'NAND, JoHX Alexander (1812- 1900). An American soldier, on the Federal side prominent in the Civil War. He was born in Breckenridge County. Ky.. was brought up in Southern Illinois, anil in 1832 was admitted to the bar. In 18.33, after having served as a private in the Black Hawk War. he re.*imied file practice of his profession, and also engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1835 he became the editor and pub- lisher of the Shawneetown (III.) Democrat. From 1836 until 1842 he represented his district in the State Legislature: and from 1843 to 1851 he was a Democratic member of Congress from Illinois. In 1851 he removed from Shawneetown to Jack- sonville, and in 1850 liecame again a Representa- tive in Congress. At the outbreak of the Civil War, having l«<en appointed brigadier-general on May 17. 1S6I. he raised, largely through his personal influence, the McCIernand brigade. This he commanded at the battle of Belmont. In February. 1862, he gallantly led his command ia