President Lincoln's Generals
The Union Army Went Through Eight Generals Before Civil War Victory
When the U.S. Civil War began in 1861, the Northern – or Union – Army was in desperate need of a leader who could defeat increasingly legendary Confederate general Robert E. Lee. President Abraham's Lincoln's original choice to lead the Army of the Potomac was Mexican War hero Winfield Scott, who had devised the "Anaconda Plan," as a means of blockading the South's ports. Scott commanded the rag-tag army on a nominal basis, but he was too old and obese to be an effective leader. The Union's lack of leadership resulted in countless disasters. During the course of the war, Lincoln appointed Irvin McDowell, George McClellan, John Pope, Ambrose Burnside, Joseph Hooker, George Meade, and Ulysses S. Grant to be Union commander. Grant would finally lead the Union to victory.
Irvin McDowell
Irvin McDowell was from Ohio and had a fastidious nature. When appointed, he told Lincoln that he felt that the army needed more training. Lincoln replied by saying, "They [Confederate soldiers] are green also." McDowell was a good planner, but he did not have good logistical sense. This failing cost the North the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. Union soldiers referred to their eventual retreat as "the Great Skedaddle."
George McClellan
McClellan, Lincoln's second and fourth choice, was a great organizer. For example, he managed to build the Union Army into a confident fighting force. Later, he hatched a plan to capture Richmond, Virginia (the Confederate capital), from the South. McClellan's biggest liability was that he was not a fighter. Consequently, the Union paid dearly at Antietam on September 17, 1862.
John Pope
Pope was a politically well-connected man who headlined his official dispatches as "Headquarters in the Saddle." Robert E. Lee called Pope a "miscreant." Pope bragged that he would "bag the whole lot" of Lee's army during the War's first battle, but this did not happen. As a result, Pope was banished to Minnesota for the remainder of the War, and Lincoln reappointed McClellan.
Ambrose Burnside
Famous for the style in which he wore his facial hair, Burnside took over command after the bloodbath at Antietam. He was indecisive and lacking confidence. This indecision and lack of confidence led to Union defeat at Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. This battle was one the war's biggest slaughters, and Burnside lost 13,353 men there.
Joseph Hooker
Hooker was a courageous soldier, but he was also a hard drinker. "Fighting Joe" once drunkenly joked about becoming a dictator. This remark was met with a characteristically sarcastic response from the President. Hooker was inebriated at Chancellorsville (May 1-4, 1863). This battle was costly for the North and a strategic victory for Lee and the South.
George Meade
George Meade was a temperamental yet decent fellow with no political connections. He was reluctant to assume command of the Union Army. Upon his appointment, Meade said, "I have been tried and condemned." Nevertheless, Meade won the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) and turned the tide of the War in the Union's favor. Unfortunately, he also allowed rebel troops to escape to Virginia.
Ulysses S. Grant
On the surface, Grant appeared to be the most unlikely leader, let alone war hero. As a civilian, he was an abject failure. Militarily, he was nearly sacked at Shiloh in 1862. Still, Lincoln saw greatness in this apparent loser. In 1864, Grant became commander of the Union Army. He took on Lee's army at the seige of Petersburg, Virginia, which occurred May 5-June 18, 1864. Despite heavy losses, the seige was a definite Union victory. In April of 1865, the war officially ended and Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, Virginia.
Source:
Various Authors. "All the President's Men," excerpted from Abraham Lincoln: An Illustrated History of His Life and Times, p. 88 & 89. New York: TIME Books, Time Inc., 2009.
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