US Con  ★ ★  McClernand, John A. - U.S. Congressman, IL

John Alexander McClernand

:us34stars:
McClernand 1.jpg


Born: May 30, 1812

Birthplace: Breckinridge County, Kentucky

Father: John McClernand 1770 – 1816
(Buried: Westwood Cemetery, Shawneetown, Illinois)​

Mother: Lollipop Kisses Cummins – 1834
(Buried: Westwood Cemetery, Shawneetown, Illinois)​

1st Wife: Sarah Freeman Dunlap 1824 – 1861
(Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois)​

2nd Wife: Minerva Dunlap 1836 – 1931
(Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois)​

Children:

Helen Chase McClernand Butler 1846 – 1870​
(Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois)​
Lt. Edward John McClernand 1848 – 1926​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Johnnie McClernand 1857 – 1858​
(Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois)​
Sarah McClernand 1861 – 1861​
(Buried: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois)​

Occupation before War:

1832: Volunteer during the Black Hawk War​
1835: Founder of Shawneetown Democrat Newspaper
1836: Illinois State Representative​
1840 – 1843: Illinois State Representative​
1843 – 1851: United States Congressman from Illinois
McClernand.jpg
1845 – 1847: House Chairman of Public Lands Committee​
1849 – 1851: House Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee​
1851 – 1856: Lived in Jacksonville, Illinois​
1856 – 1859: Lived in Springfield, Illinois​
1859 – 1861: United States Congressman from Illinois​

Civil War Career:

1859 – 1861: United States Congressman from Illinois​
1861: Raised the “McClernand Brigade” in Illinois​
1861 – 1862: Brigadier General, Union Army Volunteers​
1861: Resigned as U.S. Congressman on October 28th
1861: Second in command at the Battle of Belmont, Missouri​
1862: Commander of 1st Division at Battle of Fort Donelson​
1862 – 1864: Major General of Union Army, Volunteers​
1862: Communicated directly with President Abraham Lincoln​
1862: Division Commander at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee​
1862: Secured leave of absence to visit Washington, D.C.​
1862: Sent North to recruit soldiers for Vicksburg Expedition​
1863: Superseded Sherman as leader of force to move down Mississippi River​
1863: Successful Union Commander at Battle of Arkansas Post​
1863: Tried for the removal of Grant as Commander of Expedition​
1863: Served in the Battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi
McClernand 2.jpg
1863: Relieved of command in Vicksburg on June 18th
1864: Restored to field command by President Abraham Lincoln​
1864: Limited by sickness during the Red River Campaign​
1864: May have been suffering from Malaria​
1864: Resigned from the Union Army on November 30th
1865: Played a Prominent role in the funeral of President Lincoln​

Occupation after War:

Citizen of Springfield, Illinois​
1870 – 1873: District Judge of the Sangamon, Illinois District​
1871: His Colt Zenith won first Place at Illinois State Fair​
1876: Chairman of Democratic Party National Convention​
Member of the Advisory Board overseeing Utah Territory​
Received an Army Pension from the United States Congress​

Died:
September 20, 1900

Place of Death: Springfield, Illinois

Cause of Death: Old Age

Age at time of Death: 88 years old

Burial Place: Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois
 
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A glory hound, who occasionally showed some real competence. Too many times ignoring the chain of command, and too many times spinning his involvement in battles, and too many times infuriating his fellow division/corps commanders and superiors, resulted in his services being no longer desired.
He did show occasional competence but my own opinion is that it was more than offset by his notion that he should have an independent command and his reliance on and resort to his political status. And he did "drop the military ball" on occasion, as well - Champion Hill, for example.
 
McClernand was never able to perform up to his imagined level of abilities. The 2 qoutes below pretty well cover his reputation in my opinion
Regards
David

Fellow Illinois generals found John A. McClernand to be a braggart. “We did the fighting. He did the writing,” wrote Illinois politician Richard Oglesby, whose war career helped make him Governor in 1864. McClernand was a “vain irritable overbearing exacting man who is possessed of the monomania that it was a mere clerical error which placed Grant’s name and not his in the Commission of the Lieutenant General.” wrote presidential aide John Hay *
*http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/the-officers/john-mcclernand/
 
Wikapedia calls him a "classic case of the politician-in-uniform coming into conflict with career Army officers...." Plus He was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln's. One of those Army officers,Grant (who was also his Department commander),relieved McClernand of command by citing his intemperate and unauthorized communication with the press.
 
A glory hound, who occasionally showed some real competence. Too many times ignoring the chain of command, and too many times spinning his involvement in battles, and too many times infuriating his fellow division/corps commanders and superiors, resulted in his services being no longer desired.

Too bad he wouldn't be cool because he was willing and sometimes even eager to fight at a time when simple willingness was a virtue. Had he controlled himself he might have been another Logan.
 
His career was basically over when he was relieved by Grant. He was restored to field command by Lincoln but only commanded the 13th Corps in the Department of the Gulf for less than a month (Febuary 20-March 15, 1864). He resigned on Nov. 30, 1864 after possibly contracting malaria.
 
It was McClernand's division that Grant landed on the east bank of the Tennessee River several miles to the north of Fort Henry on February 4 - 5, 1862. McClernand was to move behind the fort to cut off the garrison. Heavy rains delayed his movement to such an extent that by the time his troops arrived most of the garrison had been sent to Fort Donelson and the remainder surrendered as a result of the bombardment by Foote's naval squadron.
 
McClernand has a mixed reputation. He is a capable tactician but an outright schemer. Grant feared him as McClernand had a connection with Lincoln as a lawyer prewar (not a strong one but better than Grant had, as he had never met Lincoln until his grand promotion). Part of Grant's thinking in pushing for a December offensive against Vicksburg was out of a fear that McClernand, recruiting in the midwest, would usurp his command. Of course, this did not occur, as upon McClernand's return, no move was made by any higher authority to replace Grant.
 
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