Battles & Leaders of the Civil War: The Removal of McClellan

The Battle of Antietam is considered one of the turning points of the Civil War. After a series of stunning victories, Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia invaded Maryland in September 1862, hoping to score both victories in battle and propaganda victories that might help the Confederacy earn international recognition. Instead, a copy of Lee’s marching orders made it to the Army of the Potomac, spurring General George B. McClellan to move his army at a pace faster than Lee anticipated. Lee gave battle on September 17, turning the battle into the bloodiest single day of the war, and his army barely escaped destruction.

Despite heavily outnumbering the Southern army and badly damaging it during the battle, McClellan declined to pursue Lee across the Potomac, citing shortages of equipment and the fear of overextending his forces. General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck wrote in his official report, "The long inactivity of so large an army in the face of a defeated foe, and during the most favorable season for rapid movements and a vigorous campaign, was a matter of great disappointment and regret." Lincoln relieved McClellan of his command of the Army of the Potomac on November 7, effectively ending the general's military career.

After the war, Assistant Adjutant-General Richard Irwin wrote an article about the firing of McClellan that was eventually published in the well known Battles & Leaders series. This edition of Battles & Leaders of the Civil War: The Removal of McClellan includes Irwin’s article and the correspondence between McClellan and the Lincoln Administration that led to his removal, which was preserved in the Official Records. This edition is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and pictures of Antietam’s important commanders.