Monument Monday – George B. McClellan in Washington, DC

One of the Union Army’s most famous Generals, is best known not for great victories, but for being fired by President Abe Lincoln, for being too hesitant to engage his troops against Confederate forces.  Even when significantly outnumbering the rebels, Major General George B. McClellan, was slow to attack.

McClellan lead the Union’s Army of the Potomac and served as the general-in-chief of the Union Army for 5 months during the Civil War.   He rose to fame based on his reputation of being meticulous in his organization and planning skills, but these skills hampered him on the rapidly changing battle field.

He was unable to engage his troops when needed, which resulted in several losses, notably the First Battle of Bull Run, the failure to capture Richmond and allowing General Robert E. Lee’s army of Virginia to escape after the Battle of Antietam.

At Antietam, McClellan lost 2,000 more soldiers than Lee (over 12,000 in total of his 80,000 troops) to death or wounding, even though he outnumbered the Confederate troops by two-to-one. He thought he was outnumbered by 70,000 Confederate troops, which caused his hesitancy.

The battle resulted in the bloodiest day in American history with over 22,600 soldiers on both sides killed or wounded.

President Lincoln was quoted as saying in disappointment about the General, "If General McClellan does not want to use the army, I would like to borrow it for a time." He then turned the Army over to Ulysses S. Grant, who was a hard charging leader.

In 1864, General McClellan ran for President, unsuccessfully as a Democrat against then-sitting Republican President, Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln won 22 of 25 states and 212 of the 233 electoral votes.

Fourteen years later, McClellan was elected governor of New Jersey for 4 years.

Erected in 1907, sculptor Frederick MacMonnies immortalized McClellan on horseback in a small, quiet park in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.

Major General George B. McClellan statue
Connecticut Ave., NW & California St., NW at Columbia Road
Washington, DC 20009 (map it)

Dates and Times – The park is open 24-hours daily.

Admission - Free

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Dupont Circle – Red line, then a ½-mile walk.

Parking – Limited free and metered street parking is available in the area.

Images – portrait, Wikipedia – public domain, statues from personal collection – ©2000, Jon Rochetti

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