McClellan McClellan vs. Scott

[DanSBHawk]

I generally agree, but there are degrees of ruthlessness. It would be horrible if Mac treated any superior officer this way. To do it to your mentor, though, and someone who was instrumental to advancing your career, just strikes me as way beyond the pale. Its almost pathological, if you ask me.

It may have come back to bite McClellan though. During the Peninsula Campaign, Lincoln consulted with Winfield Scott about McClellan's timidity in fighting, and Scott advised Lincoln to bring Halleck east. Lincoln agreed.

 

[Lubliner]

eading Allan Rafuse's book, McClellan's War, and wanted to highlight Mac's efforts to oust Winfield Scott from office and secure his position for himself. From past readings I had known that Mac had often been rude to Scott, but I was not aware of just how despicable he was in his ruthless, and quite insubordinate, efforts.

This also surprised me. The whole situation is aptly explained in the Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War.
Lubliner.

 

[Nathan Towne]

It may have come back to bite McClellan though. During the Peninsula Campaign, Lincoln consulted with Winfield Scott about McClellan's timidity in fighting, and Scott advised Lincoln to bring Halleck east. Lincoln agreed.

What evidence do you have of Scott's supposed animus towards McClellan? Not an area which I am intimately familiar with in terms of their respective relationship during the war. I usually find this type of thing to be really overstated in terms of the impact which these types of things (personal vendettas and the like) had on decision making, as well.

 

[SSVilla]

The people and disfunction of the times are part of the appeal. It helps me to put everyone else and everything else in context.

I have always been intrigued about what was the problem among them, thanks for sharing that Jerry. I have the book on a to read list.

 

[Nathan Towne]

The people and disfunction of the times are part of the appeal. It helps me to put everyone else and everything else in context.

I have always been intrigued about what was the problem among them, thanks for sharing that Jerry. I have the book on a to read list.

It is an excellent book!

 

[Lubliner]

I usually find this type of thing to be really overstated in terms of the impact which these types of things (personal vendettas and the like) had on decision making, as well.

From Harper's History of the Great Rebellion, p.159;
".... the almost inevitable certainty of disagreement between a general and an administration representing sentiments radically opposite to his own; the jealousies growing out of this opposition in sentiment lost us many a battle and many an opportunity of bringing the war to a speedy termination."

It appears from this it had a greater impact than you give credit for.
Lubliner.

 

[Nathan Towne]

From Harper's History of the Great Rebellion, p.159;
".... the almost inevitable certainty of disagreement between a general and an administration representing sentiments radically opposite to his own; the jealousies growing out of this opposition in sentiment lost us many a battle and many an opportunity of bringing the war to a speedy termination."

It appears from this it had a greater impact than you give credit for.
Lubliner.

Hey,

I was referring specifically to McClellan and Scott. It is an interesting discussion and one which I have to put more thought into.

@JerryD

I hope that you are enjoying the book!

 

[SSVilla]

Reading Allan Rafuse's book, McClellan's War, and wanted to highlight Mac's efforts to oust Winfield Scott from office and secure his position for himself. From past readings I had known that Mac had often been rude to Scott, but I was not aware of just how despicable he was in his ruthless, and quite insubordinate, efforts.

What struck me as particularly pernicious was the fact that Scott had been Mac's mentor. Scott had been a patient of Mac's father and had known him since he was a child, and took a fatherly interest in promoting his career. In his rise through the ranks Mac held Scott in the highest esteem, and was rewarded with plum assignments that kept Mac away from frontier duty and allowed him to travel the world.

And yet, when Mac saw the chance, he turned on Scott almost as soon as he arrived in DC after First Bull Run. He insisted in communicating with the President and Cabinet members directly, bypassing the chain of command despite repeated complaints by Scott. When Scott asked for information at to troop strengths Mac ignored the requests. Mac was also lobbying for Scott's removal, telling Congressmen and Cabinet members that he would act more decisively, except that Scott was in his way. Scott complained to Lincoln that normally he would have an officer acting this way arrested, but he did not want to give comfort to the rebels by showing such divisions within the upper ranks of the US military.

It really is quite startling that Mac would turn so viciously on his former mentor and treat someone who had been so good to him with such contempt. I think this is just further evidence that while Mac was a decent general and administrator, perhaps even a good one, but he was a seriously flawed and damaged human being.

Then, when he finally succeeded in getting Scott retired, he lamented seeing the old man forgotten and wrote to his wife lamenting the sight and asking her to remind him not to ever be that ambitious and vain… I wonder if he was putting up an act for his wife… sometimes there's really a disconnect between what he said/wrote and what he did… He is a perplexing character to be sure…. Why be a hypocrite to his own wife? Appearances? Keeping up a front and image of himself for her? That's a difficult facade to keep…

Or was he simply that able to disconnect himself from it? Blame someone else. (Of course…)