- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Location
- East Texas
Normally I wouldn't have bothered to defend a nefarious Yankee like McClernand - HOWEVER, I'm currently reading a wonderful book by Ed Bearss about the Vicksburg Campaign, in which he points out several of McClernand's actually superior qualities! Among them, McC was the only one of Grant's subordinates who thought the campaign had a chance from the first - this was the reason it was McC and not Sherman nor McPherson who was chosen to lead not only the advance through Louisiana but also from Bruinsburg to Port Gibson. It's also obvious that his disappointing performance at Champion's Hill was because of Grant's own instructions and difficulties in communication. But most telling of all, Bearss shows convincingly that of the three corps commanders during the May 22 assault on Vicksburg McClernand was the only one to adequately prepare for it and that Grant's subsequent criticism of him was unfounded and done in the spirit of CYA.… McClernand was a lawyer and politician, appointed for political reasons and scheming for glory. He had no military talent to justify his rank. He deserved Grant's scorn.