PRIMARY DOCUMENT

“Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes” by Abraham Lincoln (1862)

ORIGINAL IMAGES
Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes by Abraham Lincoln (1862)
CONTEXT

In this order issued on November 5, 1862, one day after the congressional mid-term elections, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln relieved Union general George B. McClellan, a potential political rival, of command of the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln believed that McClellan should have pursued the Confederates more aggressively after his victory at the Battle of Antietam on September 17. Lincoln replaced McClellan with Ambrose E. Burnside, and Fitz-John Porter—who would soon be court-martialed for his actions at the Second Battle of Manassas—with Joseph Hooker.

Author: Abraham Lincoln
    Transcription Source: Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln: Complete Works: Comprising His Speeches, Letters, State Papers, and Miscellaneous Writings, eds. John G. Nicolay and John Hay (New York: The Century Co., 1894), 2:252.

    FULL TEXT

    November 5, 1862.—Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes.

    Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes by Abraham Lincoln (1862)

    Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes by Abraham Lincoln (1862)

    Executive Mansion, Washington, November 5, 1862.

    By direction of the President, it is ordered that Major-General McClellan be relieved from the command of the Army of the Potomac, and that Major-General Burnside take the command of that army. Also that Major-General Hunter take command of the corps in said army which is now commanded by General Burnside. That Major-General Fitz-John Porter be relieved from command of the corps he now commands in said army, and that Major-General Hooker take command of said corps.

    The general-in-chief is authorized, in [his] discretion, to issue an order substantially as the above, forthwith, or so soon as he may deem proper.

    A. Lincoln.

    MAP
    TIMELINE
    November 5, 1862
    President Abraham Lincoln, unhappy with George B. McClellan's pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia following the Battle of Antietam in September, removes the general from command of Army of the Potomac. He is transferred to duty in Trenton, New Jersey.
    CITE THIS ENTRY
    APA Citation:
    Lincoln, Abraham. “Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes” by Abraham Lincoln (1862). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/order-relieving-general-g-b-mcclellan-and-making-other-changes-by-abraham-lincoln-1862.
    MLA Citation:
    Lincoln, Abraham. "“Order Relieving General G. B. McClellan and Making Other Changes” by Abraham Lincoln (1862)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 30 May. 2023
    Last updated: 2020, December 07
    Feedback
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Sponsors