With Malice Toward None
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition
{
object_type: 'Exhibit Item',embed_type: 'image',embed_detail: 'http://myloc.gov/_assets/Exhibitions/lincoln/presidency/CommanderInChief/BattlingIncompetence/Assets/19389u_thumb.jpg',embed_alt: 'General George Brinton McClellan',thumbnail: {url: 'http://myloc.gov/_assets/Exhibitions/lincoln/presidency/CommanderInChief/BattlingIncompetence/Assets/19389u_thumb.jpg',alt: 'General George Brinton McClellan',height: '66',width: '125'}
}
General George Brinton McClellan
General George B. McClellan’s victory at the little known battle of Rich Mountain, West Virginia, just ten days before the Union disaster at First Bull Run, made him the logical candidate to replace the disgraced General Irvin McDowell. McClellan’s credentials as a war leader seemed impeccable, and he proved an excellent organizer and administrator. However, to the dismay of almost the entire nation, the “Little Napoleon,” as he was popularly known, demonstrated little fighting spirit.