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George Brinton McClellan (shown here with his wife, Ellen
Mary Marcy) was the second Commander of the Army of the Potomac.
The soldiers gave him the nickname "Little Mac", while others called him "Young Napoleon".
A
superb organizer of troops he transformed the Army of the Potomac
from a rag-tag mob into a disciplined army. Unfortunately he
was hesitant to use the Army effectively (some would say "at
all."). President Abraham Lincoln once remarked
that he would have liked to "borrow" the Army if McClellan
wasn't using it and, after the Battle of Antietam
described the Army of the Potomac as "McClellan's Bodyguard." After Antietam, McClellan was replaced by Ambrose Burnside as Commander, Army of the Potomac.
McClellan was the Democatic nominee for President in 1864,
losing the election to Abraham Lincoln.
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