Colonel Ezra Mclellan Qualities

The American Civil War was a bloody war that resulted from poor decisions and false beliefs in old tactics and strategies. One of the bloodiest battles fought was that of Antietam, Maryland, where General George B. McClellan commanded the Union forces against those of General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces. There were “36 casualties a minute, totaling 22, 717” by the end of the battle. Though McClellan easily outnumbered Lee two to one, his ego and personal delusions prevented him from making the necessary decisions that could have led to a shorter and more decisive victory for the Union. This battle alone has led to a large debate among historians on whether or not McClellan was a good commander. One survivor of the battle, Colonel Ezra

He was commissioned back into the army as a major general, and eventually placed in command of the Army of Potomac. This army, however, was highly disorganized and lacked severely in military training and equipment. McClellan was able to reorganize his troops and provide them with the necessary training to make them a functional unit, as well as supply them with all the best equipment and supplies. He was “academically bright, personally brave, well organized and a good unit commander who was popular with his men.” He loved his soldiers and cared for their well being which gained the respect of his soldiers and greatly improving their moral and esprit de corps. McClellan “trained his men right, but would not risk them in war” and this hesitance ultimately cost him the victory at

When he stumbled upon General Lee’s battle plans for Antietam, McClellan boasted that he had intel that insured Lee’s defeat and would return soon from a swift victory. However, he still believed his forces were outnumbered and, rather than hastily move to attack before Lee could completely settle his troops, McClellan waited eighteen hours before engaging. This delay provided Lee’s small forces the time they needed to learn of McClellan’s knowledge, readjust and call in reinforcements. Once the battle had begun, McClellan’s inability to control his troops was vastly evident. His headquarters were too far back to effectively control the battle, and his reinforcements were staged too far behind to provide any real assistant to the troops that were actively engaged in battle. McClellan’s final opportunity to secure a victory over Lee came at a moment of miscommunication within the confederate forces that resulted in a hole in their front lines, providing McClellan a perfect opportunity to push into the confederate forces and push them back. But once again his “trademark cautiousness denied the North several decisive victories” and he ordered his troops to stand on the defensive and not