ch.16: McClellan on the "Attack"

Some Questions to Ponder

1. Why was President Lincoln so adamant about forcing McClellan to attack the Confederacy in the winter/spring of 1862? What had been going on? 

2. What was McClellan’s plan and why did Lincoln approve it even though he harbored some doubts about its feasibility?

3. Why do you suppose Lincoln retained incompetant generals like McClellan and Fremont when so many politicians were trying to get rid of those men?

4. Why did McClellan always think he was outnumbered? Was he? Where did he get his figures?

5. Who was Kate Chase and why does Doris Kearns Goodwin write about her so often?

6. What happened between the Monitor and the Merrimac?

7. How did McClellan do in the Peninsula campaign of 1862? Did he win or lose those "Seven Days" battles?

8. Why was it said at the time that McClellan was simply “out-generaled?” Was he? Explain.  

ch.15: A Death in the White House

Part of Lincoln’s political acumen is that he was able to navigate all the personalities in his cabinet. Simon Cameron was most likely included in the administration because of a deal made at the 1860 Republican convention. Cameron always had the reputation of being a shady, backroom, cigar-smoking politician. Lincoln probably didn’t want him, but a deal was made and Cameron became part of the team.

Maybe during peacetime, Cameron could have handled his duties. But a corrupt politician trying to operate the growing War Department during an internal rebellion—that’s asking a little too much. Lincoln found a way to gracefully let Cameron go and hired Edwin Stanton as Secretary of War. Stanton was a strong personality but an extremely competent administrator. He took a corrupt department and turned it around. It’s difficult to see how the Union could have conducted the war without Stanton’s efficiency. And as we are learning in Team of Rivals, Lincoln was able to deal with these personalities. He gave Stanton room to do his job even when the new secretary annoyed friends and politicians alike. Lincoln handled these situations.

The tragedy in this chapter is the death of Lincoln’s son Willie. The book includes many references and quotes on what a bright and vivacious boy he was. Even reading this book now, I become teary-eyed when I get to this chapter. With all the political problems and difficulties that Lincoln and Mary had to endure, this was a devastating blow. Mary never fully recovered and Lincoln spent much time trying to assuage her grief—all the while conducting a Civil War (a war that wasn’t going very well).

Notice in the chapter how unimpressive the medical community was. Once Willie became sick, the medical establishment could do little—they didn’t understand much about germs, viruses, and infections yet. They were still bleeding people. Doctors didn’t do much except hope that the patient recovered.                

ch.14: General McClellan

No individual from the American Civil War is as despised and detested as much as Union General George B. McClellan. Historians have not judged him well--agreeing that he was an incompetent commander and leader. His soldiers liked him; but he was extremely arrogant and pompous to his superiors—especially to Lincoln (his boss and Commander-in-Chief).

It always seemed to me that nothing better reveals Lincoln’s class than his relationship with McClellan. And in contrast, Lincoln’s character brings out the many faults and weaknesses of George McClellan.

When it became clear that Winfield Scott was too old and feeble to lead the Union forces, Lincoln had to find a new general. That duty would fall to McClellan—he was charismatic, the troops adored him, and he was able to train the men for combat—something that was sorely needed at the start of the war.


But McClellan had two major faults (among many). First, his ego was enormous; he thought himself the savior of the Union. Reading his letters—where he calls himself a savior—you wonder if he understood democracy and representative government at all. But early in the war, he was all Lincoln had. And Lincoln withstood McClellan’s many slights: leaving the president waiting in the parlor for hours, and calling him a baboon to name just a few. McClellan had little respect for Lincoln and allowed his feelings be known. Lincoln had every reason to fire and/or court-martial McClellan, but he cared little about egos and simply wanted to win the war. So the president continually showed his class by taking the general's slights--hoping that McClellan would prove to be useful on the battlefield. 


McClellan’s other flaw—which we will see more of in Team of Rivals—if that while he was an outstanding trainer, he seemed afraid to actually send his troops into battle. He continually made excuses for not pursuing the enemy. Lincoln begged him to take action—and McClellan still would hesitate. Lincoln kept the general as long as possible before finally firing him after the Battle of Antietam in the late summer of 1862. And by the way, McClellan was Lincoln’s Democratic Part opponent in the 1864 election—Lincoln crushed him, helped in a great measure by the soldier’s vote!    

chs.12-13: Inauguration to Bull Run

In chapter 12 of Team of Rivals, we see “Lincoln the speechwriter” at work crafting his inaugural address. Notice how important words were to Lincoln. And he knew that his words would be seriously parsed for hidden meaning by both sections of the country. I particularly like the touching story of Senator Douglas holding Lincoln’s hat at the inauguration ceremony. These two great men from Illinois had been rivals for years—yet always respected each other's political talents.

During his first few days in office, Lincoln was criticized by both ends of the Republican Party political spectrum. Some thought he was going too far—being too radical; others saw him as a Southern appeaser. This is a continual problem in the American political system. Moderate politicians like Lincoln must manage a political organization that includes many different factions. And as we will see in this book, he did an outstanding job keeping his party together through these difficult times. But it was not smooth sailing at the beginning.

One of the main questions that still baffles historians concerns Lincoln’s larger purpose in the war. Was he pondering the end slavery from the start, or was his only aim to win the war? We are still not absolutely sure. Lincoln seems to have gone through a process where emancipation became more and more important as the war progressed. But unfortunately, we don’t know what Lincoln was thinking at the start of the conflict. As you read this book, think about Lincoln's views on slavery and emancipation and how his sentiments might have been changing due to the circumstances on the battlefields.

At the end of chapter 13, we witness the first of many Union defeats at Bull Run. So full of hope and excitement to end the rebellion quickly, Union efforts did not begin well. And it would get worse for Lincoln and the North. What many Americans still do not realize is how close the Union came to losing this war. What a different country that would have produced!