George Brinton McClellan was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 1862. He was also an engineer, and was chief engineer and vice president of the Illinois Central Railroad, and later president of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad in 1860.
Photograph by Mathew Brady, 1861
The Julian Scott portrait of McClellan in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
McClellan and Ellen Mary "Nelly" (Marcy) McClellan
Patriotic cover honoring the arrival of McClellan in Washington, D.C., on July 26, 1861
Commanding General of the United States Army
The Commanding General of the United States Army was the title given to the service chief and highest-ranking officer of the United States Army, prior to the establishment of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1903. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the title was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. In 1783, the title was simplified to Senior Officer of the United States Army. In 1821, the title was changed to Commanding General of the United States Army. The office was often referred to by various other titles, such as "Major General Commanding the Army" or "General-in-Chief".
Commanding General of the United States Army
Image: Portrait of George Washington
Image: Henry Knox by Gilbert Stuart 1806, detail
Image: John Doughty
