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00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.

This Week in the Civil War - 434

On Wednesday, November 5, 1862, after weeks of stress President Abraham Lincoln drafted the following telegram: “By direction of the President, it is ordered that Major General McClellan be relieved of the command of the Army of the Potomac; and that Major General Burnside take the command of that Army.” 

After failing to pursue Lee after Antietam and after weeks of “masterful inactivity,” McClellan was finally replaced, ending his controversial military career. Lincoln personally liked “Little Mac” but believed his general to have a perpetual case of the “slows.”  “He is an admirable engineer,” Lincoln was reputed to have said about McClellan, “but he seems to have a special talent for a stationary engine.”   Two days later the general would receive a copy of Lincoln’s order, replacing him.