General George B. McClellan: A Study in Controversy
- Current Stock:
- Author:
- Maurice G. Daoust
- Pub Date:
- September 2026
- ISBN:
- 978-1-61121-800-8
- eISBN:
- 978-1-954547-82-7
- Binding:
- hardcover, d.j.
- Specs:
- 30 images, 20 maps, 348 pp
- Bookplates:
- Available
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Hesitant commander or misunderstood strategist? History remembers Major General George B. McClellan as the man who had “the slows”—a timid leader who forged the renowned Army of the Potomac only to fail it in the field. In General George B. McClellan: A Study in Controversy, this complex, often-maligned Union general finally receives the balanced appraisal history has long denied him.
Drawing on a deep range of primary sources—letters, reports, diaries, and unpublished archival material—author Maurice G. Daoust presents a meticulous and objective re-evaluation of one of the American Civil War’s most polarizing figures.
Was McClellan an obstinate and vain general, or a disciplined soldier facing difficult political and logistical challenges? Nowhere is this question more crucial than at Antietam, the bloodiest single day in American history, where McClellan’s actions arguably preserved the Union cause at a moment of supreme peril. That strategic Union victory gave President Abraham Lincoln what he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and set the course of the war thereafter.
This study scrutinizes the critical moments that defined McClellan’s career, from his initial success at Rich Mountain to his final dismissal in November 1862. Daoust’s research challenges several long-held assumptions and paints a vivid portrait of a man whose intellect, discipline, and conviction shaped the war’s early years.
Combining military analysis with rich biographical detail, Daoust offers a provocative new perspective on the man and the myths. General George B. McClellan: A Study in Controversy is essential reading for any serious student of the American Civil War.
ADVANCE REVIEWS
“Maurice G. Daoust gives us a provocative, unbiased, well-researched, and thoroughly documented study of one of the Civil War’s most controversial personalities. For us old-timers there is plenty of information to refute the historical consensus of the timid, slow, and cowardly General McClellan we grew up reading about. Those new to Civil War history will be able to make their own judgments of McClellan based on an impartial presentation of the historical record. Veteran or recruit, General George B. McClellan: A Study in Controversy is a valuable addition to anyone’s bookshelf.”
— Steven R. Stotelmyer, author of Bivouacs of the Dead, Too Useful to Sacrifice, and From Frederick to Sharpsburg
“Misrepresentations and half-truths have long dogged the reputation of Major General George B. McClellan. In this engaging new study, Maurice Daoust offers a full-throated correction of these historical distortions. His thoughtful analysis of the sources is incisive and sure to stimulate renewed debate about the military record Little Mac compiled during his tenure as commander of the Army of the Potomac.”
— Dr. Alexander B. Rossino, author of Calamity at Frederick and Their Maryland
“This is a work of original analysis and new research that will surprise and delight on almost every page, even for readers well versed in Civil War literature. For those new to this material, General George B. McClellan: A Study in Controversy offers a readable and enjoyable review of the early war controversies surrounding a major historical figure. For me, this was the most satisfying read in a decade.”
— Dimitri Rotov, Editor, Civil War Bookshelf book reviewer
“Ulysses S. Grant referred to George B. McClellan as ‘one of the mysteries of the war.’ Historians have long sought to explain that mystery, most often in critical terms. In General George B. McClellan: A Study in Controversy, Maurice G. Daoust undertakes a careful reexamination of McClellan’s Civil War career through a new analysis of numerous primary sources while also engaging with broader interpretations of his generalship. This study provides a balanced contribution to the ongoing scholarship on McClellan and offers readers a thoughtful reassessment of one of the Civil War’s most debated figures.”
— Kevin Pawlak, Antietam Battlefield Guide
“At last we have a study of George McClellan that ignores the political sniping and shop-worn pseudo-psychology that has permeated most other studies of this controversial general. Unlike most studies, Ethan Rafuse’s McClellan’s War excepted, this study ignores the jibes of Lincoln and other politicos and provides a succinct narration of the man who built the Army of the Potomac and led it to victory at Antietam. That same army, under Burnside, Hooker, and Meade, ultimately defeated the Army of Northern Virginia and ended the war. I highly recommend it.”
— Dr. Thomas G. Clemens, Editor, The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 and the forthcoming Ezra A. Carman Papers
Maurice G. Daoust developed an interest in the American Civil War in the late 1980s. That interest grew into a passion, and he soon began conducting his own research on various aspects of the war. Over the next three and a half decades, Daoust devoted most of his research efforts on the ever-controversial George B. McClellan and published several McClellan-related articles. He is also credited with the discovery of the “12 Midnight” telegram, which has altered perceptions about when McClellan came into possession of Lee’s Lost Order and his subsequent actions on September 13, 1862. This is his first Civil War-related book.
