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George McClellan Thesis
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Author:  Blake [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:18 am ]
Post subject:  George McClellan Thesis
Stephen Sears wrote this of McClellan in "Landscape Turned Red":

To be sure, it was not uncommon in that era of intense religious fervor for generals to invoke the Deity. Stonewall Jackson, for one, invariably attributed Confederate victories to the blessings of a kind Providence. Yet McClellan alone professed to be the chosen instrument of that Providence rather than simply its grateful servant. "I feel that God has placed a great work in my hands.... Pray for me, that I may be able to accomplish my task - the greatest, perhaps, that any poor, weak mortal ever had to do."

Whenever I read of McClellan I am struck by that reoccurring tone of him being chosen by God and seeking to do what was pre-determined for him to accomplish.

How this compares and contrasts to others on both sides (chosen by God vs. serving God) might make a good college thesis and small book. If only I had the time, resources, and ability to write it. And the brains of course :mrgreen:
Author:  warhorse123 [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 9:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: George McClellan Thesis
I can't remember the book I was reading (I think it was The War For The Common Soldier) but the author made a point to write something to the effect of, "...both sides praying to the same God for victory." Just a sentence that always stuck out it me.
Author:  mihalik [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: George McClellan Thesis
warhorse123 wrote:
I can't remember the book I was reading (I think it was The War For The Common Soldier) but the author made a point to write something to the effect of, "...both sides praying to the same God for victory." Just a sentence that always stuck out it me.

That phrase was in Lincoln's second inaugural address. Worth reading.
Author:  Quaama [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 1:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: George McClellan Thesis
Ha!
McClellan 'the chosen one' - I think not.

My impression is that other generals seemed to generally fall in the 'servant' rather than 'chosen' camp with frequent comments along the lines of 'It's in God's hands now', 'It's up to Providence', 'Our fate is in His hands' or thanking Him after a successful battle.
Author:  Chiel Faber [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 2:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: George McClellan Thesis
warhorse123 wrote:
"...both sides praying to the same God for victory."



This instantly made me remember a quote by the football player and one of are national heroes, Johan Cruyff.


He said:

"I don't believe in God ...In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before a game. If it worked, every game would end in a tie.”
Author:  M. Johnson [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 2:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: George McClellan Thesis
I found this article on the topic https://www.historynet.com/in-god-we-trust-did-george-b-mcclellan-suffer-from-a-messianic-complex/. The author compares Lincoln, Lee and Jackson and GB McClellan to one another to show how each was shaped by religion in their lives as commanders.

McClellan’s religious convictions were no more abnormal than those of his contemporaries who embraced God’s Will. Consider these two statements. “It is probable that we shall have a severe engagement today…I feel as reasonably confidant of success as anyone well can who trusts in a higher power & does not know what the decision will be,” McClellan wrote to his wife on September 14, 1862. On July 2, 1863, Robert E. Lee told a foreign observer, “I do everything in my power to make my plans as perfect as possible…the rest must be done by my generals and their troops, trusting to Providence for the victory.” Stonewall Jackson believed all victories came through God’s blessing. Lincoln believed that humans were simply instruments playing out their parts in some grand scheme of God’s. Yet, because McClellan also believed he was God’s instrument, he is singled out for being the victim of some debilitating religious psychological malady. What is seen as virtue in others becomes vice for Little Mac. Such is the nature of the historical double standard by which George B. McClellan is judged.
Author:  Josh Jansen [ Thu Mar 03, 2022 3:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: George McClellan Thesis
If you think about it in the context mentioned, we and they would have all been instruments of the gods. Their, and our, belief and part in the matter is thus arbitrary.
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