McClellan's War

Ethan S. Rafuse is Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the author, editor, or co-editor of eight books on Civil War history, including Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry: A Battlefield Guide and Robert E. Lee and the Fall of the Confederacy, 1863-1865.

• List of MapsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. "Traditions and Associations . . . Were All on the Side of the Old Whig Party"2. "I Can Do As Well As Anyone in Both My Studies and My Military Duties"3. Political Realignment4. "A Strong Democrat of the Stephen A. Douglas School"5. To Kill Secession6. "A New and Strange Position"7. Supreme Command8. "You Have No Idea of the Pressure Brought to Bear Here"9. "What Do You Think of the Science of Generalship?"10. The Peninsula Campaign11. "I Do Not Like the . . . Turn That Affairs Are Taking"12. "He Has Acted Badly"13. "To Meet the Necessities of the Moment"14. "The Most Terrible Battle"15. "It Is My Duty to Submit to the Presdt's Proclamation & Quietly Continue Doing My Duty"16. The Last CampaignEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex

In Ethan Rafuse's refreshing new book, we have the story of a man who . . . was thrust into a war that helped transform American society from an agrarian into an industrial empire. Thus, to really understand the commander, according to Rafuse, one needs to understand the forces that shaped his political and social thought. . . . Exhaustively researched and lucidly written, Rafuse has done an excellent job in giving us a different perspective on 'Little Mac.'(Civil War History) Rafuse's thoughtful study of Little Mac shows just how enthralling this complex and flawed individual continues to be.(Blue & Gray magazine) Rafuse's book . . . offers the most comprehensive account of McClellan's prewar life and military career available, buttressed with a convincing analysis, and is sure to alter current perceptions and future assessments of the general's role in Civil War history.(Providence Sunday Journal) Rafuse is balanced and careful in his judgments, and the book is firmly rooted in deep and thorough research. . . . Any historian seriously interested in the period will come away from the book with useful material and a better understanding of George B. McClellan.(Journal of Southern History) An important book that rescues George B. McClellan's military reputation and demonstrates that he was removed from command because he stood for policies—moderation, conciliation, statesmanship—that were anathema to the Lincoln administration.(Chronicles)