by George C. Rable
Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 2023. Pp. xiv, 476.
Illus., maps, notes, biblio., index. $39.95. ISBN:0807179779
A Fresh Look at the Testy Lincoln/McClellan Relationship
Award winning author George Rable concentrates on the relationship between commander-in-chief Lincoln and general-in-chief McLellan, one which produced some very real successes early in the war, but fell apart in subsequent failures and ultimately led to the general’s removal. Rather’s focus is not on events on the battlefield, but rather on seeking an explanation as to why during 1862 McClellan failed to capture Richmond and later failed to destroy Robert E. Lee's army in Maryland following Antietam.
Lincoln believed McClellan was someone who could organize an army and lead it to victory, but throughout the latter’s tenure of command, he proved reluctant to commit it to decisive combat.
Rable contends that both men were ambitious to attain success, viewing the Union as most important, and wished to achieve an end to secession, but could not agree on a strategy that would bring this about.
Much of the differences between the men were rooted in policy and politics. Lincoln and his principal advisors were Republicans, committed to reunification and inclined to abolition, while McClellan was a Democrat, as were many of his senior commanders, and had Copperhead associates, looking for a negotiated compromise solution to the crisis and tending to be neutral about or hostile to abolition. So McClellan opposed both the adoption of “hard war” measures and Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation following the Battle of Antietam.
In the end, despite his ability to create an army, his predilection for maneuver over combat, and his ego, was McClellan’s undoing. Having had enough of the general not fighting and not cooperating, as well as his insubordination, Lincoln removed him.
Despite removal, McClellan’s influence arguably lingered in the Army of the Potomac, leading to further battlefield failures.
Rable’s exhaustive research included use of many soldiers’ memoirs, letters, and other writings, which reveal the surprisingly wide range of sentiments among the troops about the war, the commanders, and events, Rable enables us to see how the common soldier viewed the war.
Conflict of Command is an excellent book and an important addition to readers' Civil War bookshelf. Highly recommended.
Our Reviewer: David Marshall has been a high school American history teacher in the Miami-Dade School district for more than three decades. A life-long Civil War enthusiast, David is president of the Miami Civil War Round Table Book Club. In addition to numerous reviews in Civil War News and other publications, he has given presentations to Civil War Round Tables on Joshua Chamberlain, Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the common soldier. His previous reviews here include The Civil War Memoirs of Captain William J. Seymour, Stay and Fight it Out, Calamity at Frederick, John T. Wilder, The Sergeant: The Incredible Life of Nicholas Said, Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, Brigades of Antietam, Lee Invades the North, From Antietam to Appomattox with Upton’s Regulars, Our Flag Was Still There, Never Such a Campaign, The Boy Generals: George Custer, Wesley Merritt, and the Cavalry of the Army of the Potomac, from the Gettysburg Retreat through the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South, Unforgettables, Bayou Battles for Vicksburg, and Race to the Potomac.
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