The fuckin soffets

In the annals of military history there are many great Generals. U.S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Patton, come to mind. Then there are those who you may not have heard of. Generals like Ambrose Burnside, George McClellan, Joseph Johnston. The reason you may not of heard of these guys is well..they kind of sucked at their jobs. This article is about one in particular George Brinton McClellan. Graduate of West Point with an unmistakable air of professionalism about about him McClellan came to Washington at a time when all seemed lost. The Union Army of the Potomac had been routed at Bull Run and had straggled into Washington afterwards confused and demoralized. The General the pressed dubbed the 'Young Napoleon,' at first seemed to do everything right organizing the units into neat camps around Washington and drilling and training the men all day. McClellan inspired loyalty in pride in his troops. As historian Shelby Foote noted 'His specialty was preparing troops for battle. McClellan trained that army, whatever that army did in its later years was due to the training McClellan gave them in that first year.' Yet as summer turned to fall and later winter Abe Lincoln and his cabinet began to wonder why McClellan, now in command of 100,000 men, did not move this mighty host against the Confederates. When pressed McClellan would come up with a host of excuses, he didn't have enough men, he was ill, they weren't prepared. As Secretary of war Edwin Stanton observed 'If he had a million men he would swear the enemy had two million, and cry in the mud and ask for three.' Finally in the spring of 1862 McClellan launched what became known as the Peninsula campaign, moving his might host up the York/James peninsula in an attempt to move on Richmond. Even though McClellan outnumbered Lee, Lee kept up the offensive. After seven days of fighting in which the Union army won all but one of the engagements McClellan retreated to Harrisons landing. One officer suggested the General was motivated by 'Cowardice or treason.' And as one observer noted he had been 'He was simply out-Generaled.' Lee had read McClellan cautious nature and had taken the offensive from the start. Whilst McClellan preferred a defensive strategy. Many historians have argued where this apparent lack of will to fight came from. I think one of the factors is he simply didn't have the stomach for it. Writing to his wife Mary Ellen he wrote 'I grow tired of the sickening sight of the battlefield with its mangled limbs and poor suffering wounded. Victory had no glory for me when purchased at such cost.' True the battlefield is a sobering place. But your'e a goddamn General for chirst sake! Thats me saying as a line cook that I don't like doing multiple slips at one time, its part of your fucking job. After the peninsula campaign McClellan eventually faced Lee again at Antietam in Maryland where he was able to push Lee back into Virginia after his invasion of Maryland. Finally after Antietam and McClellan lack of follow up Lincoln ended up firing him. It took a long time for hold honest Abe to find a General who had what it takes to take on Bobby Lee but he finally found one in Ulysses S. Grant probably the exact opposite of McClellan, quiet, unpretentious, not found of military displays or parades. If I were old Abe I could have fired him long before.