On 22 July, McClellan was summoned to Washington to take command of the Army of the Potomac, and commissioned as major-gen eral of the United States army. On his arrival at Washington he found everything in disorder and the troops badly demoralized in consequence of the defeat at the first battle of Bull Run, and devoting himself to the organizing and disciplin ing of his army, he soon brought order out of chaos and had his troops well equipped and in excellent condition. On the retirement of Gen eral Scott from active service, McClellan was appointed general-in-chief of the armies of the United States. Plans were then taken under discussion for an attack upon Richmond, and here difference of opinion arose between the President and the Secretary of War and Mc Clellan; the plan finally accepted made the base of supplies on Chesapeake Bay, with line of march upon Richmond from the Peninsula. The army did not move until March 1862, and in the meantime discontent had arisen at Wash ington on account of the delay. On 10 March the army advanced toward Manassas, but as the Confederates had evacuated that place and had fallen back upon Richmond, the real cam paign was begun by transporting the troops to Fortress Monroe. On 11 March, some two weeks before leaving Washington, McClellan was deprived of the chief command, leaving him the command of only the Army of the Poto mac; McDowell's corps and other reinforcements on which he had relied were also removed from his army for the defense of Washington. He besieged Yorktown for a month, though op posed by a much inferior Confederate force, whose numbers he greatly overestimated; when Yorktown was evacuated 4 May, he advanced toward Richmond, defeating the Confederates at Williamsburg and Hanover Court House. After reaching the Chickahominy, he found his lines too extended to protect from attack and advance upon Richmond, and decided to retreat to the James River; then followed the Seven Days' Battles which ended when the Federal forces reached Hampton's Ferry. From here McClellan had planned a new advance, but dis satisfaction against him was so strong that he was relieved of his command and ordered to evacuate the Peninsula. (See PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN). He was then put in command of the fortifications of Washington, till after the second battle of Bull Run, when he succeeded General Pope, again taking command of the Army of the Potomac. On Lee's invasion of Maryland, McClellan marched to attack him and fought the battle of Antietam (q.v.), forc ing the Confederates to retreat from their po sition and following them as far as the Poto mac. He did not, however, cross the Potomac in pursuit, as he was awaiting supplies; this failure to follow up his victory caused him to be deprived of his command and he was or dered to Trenton, N. J. He took no further part in the war.
In 1864 he was Democratic nominee for President of the United States, and was de feated, the electoral vote stood 212 for Lincoln against 21 for McClellan, but McClellan's pop ular vote was 1,800,000. He remained abroad from 1864-68, and on his return had charge of the construction of the Stevens' floating battery, which, however, was not completed on account of financial difficulties. In 1870 he was ap pointed chief engineer of the department of docks for New York City, in 1877 he was elected governor of New Jersey, and during his admin istration reduced and finally abolished the State tax, improved the system of public education and built up an effective militia; he declined a renomination. As a general, McClellan won the confidence and aroused the enthusiasm of his soldiers to an unusual degree; he excelled as an organizer of armies and had a thorough knowledge of the science of tactics, as shown in his plans of campaign, but in actual cam paigning lacked aggressiveness and the power to act quickly and take advantage of his ene my's mistakes. He wrote besides the reports mentioned 'Manual of Bayonet Exercise' (1852) and 'Report on the Organization and Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac' (1864). Consult 'McClellan's Own ed
ited by W. C. Preine (New York 1887) ; Michie, P. S., 'General McClellan' (in 'Great series ib. 1901) ; Rhodes, J. F., 'The First Six Weeks of McClellan's Peninsu lar Campaign' (Boston 1896) ; Ropes, J. C., 'Story of the Civil War' (Vol. II, New York 1895) ; Webb, A. S., 'Peninsula: McClellan's Campaign of 1862' (ib. 1881), and Bradford, Gamaliel, 'Union Portraits' (in Atlantic Monthly Vol. CXIV, Boston 1914).
McCLELLAN, George Brinton, American politician: b. Dresden, Saxony, 23 Nov. 1865. He is the son of Gen. G. B. McClellan (q.v.). He was graduated from Princeton in 1886; and took up journalism, working as a reporter and in editorial positions for several of the New York City dailies. He studied law and was ad mitted to the bar in 1892. From 1889 to 1892 he was treasurer of Brooklyn Bridge. Early active in politics as a Democrat, he was elected presi dent of the board of aldermen in 1893 for a term of two years. He was elected to Congress in 1894 and for four succeeding terms, and was a member of the House Committee of Ways and Means. In Congress he has been an advo cate of tariff reform, and though opposed to an imperialistic policy did not sympathize with the attacks on the conduct of the United States array in the Philippines. In 1903 he was nominated for mayor of Greater New York by the regular Democratic organization (Tammany Hall), and was elected by 63,000 majority. In 1905 he was again elected mayor by 3,472 plurality. In 1908 he succeeded Grover Cleveland as Stafford Lit tle lecturer on public affairs in Princeton University, and in 1912 he was elected pro fessor of economic history in Princeton Univer sity, a chair which he still occupies. He is the author of 'The Oligarchy of Venice' (Hough ton-Mifflin & Co., 1904) ; 'The Heel of War' (G. W. Dillingham & Co., 1916) and of numer ous magazine and newspaper articles on politi cal, historical and economic subjects. He has received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Princeton, Union and Fordham universities.
McCLERNAND, Edward John, American soldier: b. Jacksonville, Ill.. 29 Dec. 1848. In 1870 he was graduated at West Point and stationed on the Western frontier for the nine following years, in which he ,did rescue work after the destruction of Custer's command, and had a share in the capture .0f Chief Joseph and the Nez Perces Indians. In 1898 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel and adjutant-general of volunteers, served with the army of Santiago de Cuba in 1898, and was ordered to the Philippine Islands, where he routed the insurgents at Cebu, 8 Jan. 1900. He was subsequently put in command of the second district in the department of the Visayas, in cluding the islands of Cebu, Mactan. Baulayan and the Camotes. He was acting military gov ernor from 19 April 1900 to 28 May 1901. In 1905 he went as attache with the Japanese army in Japan and Manchuria. Later he was suc cessively commander of the 1st United States Cavalry, president of the Cavalry Equipment. Board, Rock Island Arsenal. He retired from active service 29 Dec. 1912.
McCLERNAND, John Alexander, Amer ican lawyer: b. Breckenridge County, Ky., 30. May 1812; d. Springfield, Ill., 20 Sept. 1900. He was admitted to the Kentucky bar in 1832, but in the same year volunteered for military serv ice against the Sac and Fox Indians. Five years later he was elected to the Illinois legis lature, and subsequently sat for two terms in Congress. During the Civil War he served with distinction at the battle of Fort Donelson as brigadier-general of volunteers, and was pro moted major-general. He led a division at the battle of Shiloh, relieved Sherman before Vicksburg in 1863 and was in command of the 13th Army Corps until 1864, when he resigned. In 1870 he was appointed circuit judge for the Sangamon, Ill., district. He presided at the National Democratic Convention in Saint Louis, 1876, and was appointed by President Cleve land member of the Utah Commission.