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George Brinton McClellan

George Brinton McClellan
Artist
Julian Scott, 1846 - 1901
Sitter
George Brinton McClellan, 3 Dec 1826 - 29 Oct 1885
Date
1888
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 101.6 x 76.5 x 3.8cm (40 x 30 1/8 x 1 1/2")
Frame: 119.7 x 94 x 10.2cm (47 1/8 x 37 x 4")
Topic
Costume\Dress Accessory\Glove\Gloves
Weapon\Sword
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
George Brinton McClellan: Male
George Brinton McClellan: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
George Brinton McClellan: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
George Brinton McClellan: Politics and Government\Governor\New Jersey
George Brinton McClellan: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Major General
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the Smithsonian American Art Museum; bequest of Georgiana L. McClellan, 1953
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.65.35
Exhibition Label
Born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
After the Union army’s defeat at the First Battle of Manassas on July 21, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed General George McClellan to command federal operations in Virginia. Within weeks, McClellan transformed a demoralized volunteer army into a disciplined fighting machine: the Army of the Potomac.
But achieving victory required engaging the enemy in battle, and in this McClellan procrastinated, much to Lincoln’s exasperation. Lincoln wrote McClellan in April 1862, “it is indispensable to you that you strike a blow. I am powerless to help this […] you must act.” Tension between Lincoln and McClellan grew further when the general, who joined the fight solely to preserve the Union, urged the President not to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. After he failed to pursue Robert E. Lee’s army following the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln relieved McClellan of his command.
Nacido en Filadelfia, Pensilvania
Tras la derrota del ejército de la Unión en la Primera Batalla de Manassas el 21 de julio de 1861, el presidente Abraham Lincoln nombró al general George McClellan comandante de las operaciones federales en Virginia. En cuestión de semanas, McClellan transformó al desmoralizado ejército voluntario en una disciplinada máquina de guerra: el Ejército del Potomac.
Ahora tenían que enfrentar al enemigo en combate, y McClellan lo aplazaba. Exasperado, Lincoln le escribió en abril de 1862: “es indispensable que aseste usted un golpe. Yo no puedo hacer nada [...] usted tiene que actuar”. La tensión entre Lincoln y McClellan creció cuando el general, que había entrado en la contienda solo para preservar la Unión, exhortó al presidente a que no emitiera la Proclamación de Emancipación. Cuando dejó escapar al ejército de Robert E. Lee tras la victoria de la Unión en la Batalla de Antietam, en septiembre de 1862, Lincoln lo relevó del mando.
Provenance
Georgiana Louise Heckscher [Mrs. George B. McClellan, Jr., 1863-1952], Washington, D.C., daughter-in-law of sitter; bequest 1953 to Smithsonian [NCFA]; transferred 1965 to NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 111