John A. McClernand

Embarkation of General McClernand's Brigade at Cairo

Upon the outbreak of the American Civil War, McClernand raised the "McClernand Brigade" in Illinois, and was appointed brigadier general of volunteers on August 7, 1861, to rank from May 17, 1861.[22] His commission as a general was based on Lincoln's desire to retain political connections with the Democrats of Southern Illinois, not on his brief service as a private in the Black Hawk War.[1][7] McClernand eventually resigned his Congressional seat effective October 28, 1861.[5] He was an effective recruiter of volunteers for the Union Army.[7] He raised the McClernand Brigade from southern Illinois, an area of mixed sentiments with respect to preservation of the Union.[9] The brigade was placed in the Western Department which was under the command of Major General John C. Fremont on August 21, 1861.[23] At the same time, the brigade was placed in the District of Southeast Missouri commanded by Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant, a subordinate of Fremont.[23] In the summer of 1861, McClernand commanded and trained his brigade at Springfield, Illinois and Jacksonville, Illinois, moving them to Cairo, Illinois at the beginning of September.[10] The brigade soon began to cut off shipments of arms and supplies to the Confederacy.[9]

McClernand was second in command under Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Belmont in Missouri on November 7, 1861.[24] In response to orders from Fremont on November 2 and 3, 1861, Grant sent regiments from his district in seven columns to demonstrate against Confederate forces on both sides of the Mississippi River.[25] The objective was to prevent Confederate reinforcement of other Confederate units in Missouri and Arkansas.[26][27] On the afternoon of November 6, two brigades under Grant's direct command moved down the river. One was commanded by McClernand; the other by Colonel Henry Dougherty.[28][29] Grant picked up two regiments before stopping overnight, bringing his force to 3,119 men.[28][29] His plan was to launch a surprise attack on the Confederate camp at Belmont, Missouri with part of his force while other regiments from his command were moving to attack the Confederates under Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson, then at Bloomfield, Missouri and to reinforce Union Colonel Richard Oglesby operating in southeastern Missouri.[30]

Near 8:00 a.m. on November 7, Grant's force began to disembark from transports about three and one-half miles (5.6 km) north of Belmont, out of range of Confederate artillery batteries across the river at Columbus, Kentucky.[29][31] Union gunboats made futile attempts to attack Confederate artillery batteries during the landings.[32] The Confederate camp at Belmont, named Camp Johnston, had been established by Confederate Major General Leonidas Polk as an observation post.[33] When Polk learned of Grant's movement early on November 7, he sent four regiments under Brigadier General[34] Gideon Pillow from Columbus to Belmont as reinforcements to intercept Grant's force.[35]

After his troops had disembarked from the gunboats, McClernand led his brigade toward the Confederate line formed in part by the recently arrived regiments of Gideon Pillow, about 3,000 men in total.[36] By 10:00 a.m., McClernand's skirmishers began to encounter the Confederate skirmishers.[37] McClernand extended his battle line to outflank the Confederate line.[38] A gap in the Union line was covered by two regiments shifting to the right.[38][39] When McClernand saw that one of his regiments under Colonel Napoleon Buford had outflanked the Confederate line, McClernand ordered a general attack.[40] Some Confederate battalions began to run out of ammunition.[41] By 2:00 p.m. the Union battle line broke the Confederate battle line about one mile (1.6 km) from the Confederate camp.[41]

After the Confederate soldiers fled in panic beyond the camp, the Union soldiers took the camp and as their discipline began to break down, they began a disorderly celebration and plundering.[42][43] McClernand walked to the center of the camp and called for three cheers adding to the disorder at the scene.[42] Grant had to order the camp burned to stop the plundering and restore order to the troops.[42][33] At Columbus, Polk got word of the battle and first sent reinforcements, then crossed the river himself with more reinforcements.[42][44] After about one-half hour of unopposed disorder at the camp, the Confederate reinforcements along with reformed elements of Pillow's regiments routed the Union force, sending them retreating toward their gunboats, which provided covering fire.[33][45][46] McClernand had directed artillery placement which also facilitated the Union force's retreat.[47] During the withdrawal McClernand suffered a grazing head wound.[2][7][48][49] When reaching the shore, McClernand acted promptly to cover the boarding of the gunboats and to rescue a Union regiment which had been left behind.[50] The Union troops, including Grant as the last to board a boat, narrowly escaped.[51]

McClernand commanded the 1st Division of Grant's army at Fort Donelson.[52] On the night of February 14, 1862, Confederate commanders decided to break out of the Union Army encirclement of the fort achieved the previous day.[53] McClernand's division, whose flank was not sufficiently covered, was struck by a surprise attack in the early morning on February 15, 1862, the third day of the battle, in bitterly cold weather.[54] By 7:00 a.m., the Confederates in line of battle and covered by artillery attacked McClernand's position, which McClernand thought he would still have time to adjust without Confederate movement in the frigid weather.[55] Within an hour of the Confederate attack, the Confederates had cleared Union cavalry from their front and outflanked Colonel John McArthur's poorly placed brigade.[56] Low on ammunition and with the negative effect on the men of Colonel Michael Lawler's wounding, McArthur's men began to run from the field.[56] A friendly fire incident contributed to further Union withdrawal and opened two roads for Confederate escape.[57] Yet the Confederate close order tactics in moving forward, an effort to reduce a salient at a road junction and straggling slowed the Confederate advance.[58] By 1:00 p.m. McClernand's division had been thoroughly routed.[59] Without orders from Grant, Brigadier General Lew Wallace sent his brigades to a new position to block the Confederate exit.[60] Grant then ordered Brigadier General Charles Ferguson Smith ("C.F. Smith") to take the fort after surmising it would now be lightly defended and the Confederates could be encircled.[61] With such men from McClernand's brigade who could be rallied, Wallace moved to retake the lost ground.[62] As night was falling, he had to stop the movement until morning which allowed McClernand's men to gradually return to their campsites.[63] Overnight, the Confederate generals decided to surrender, although Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest escaped with most of his cavalrymen and Generals Gideon Pillow and John B. Floyd fled by boat.[64] On March 21, 1862, McClernand, who had boasted about and exaggerated the achievements of his division was promoted to major general of volunteers for his service at Fort Donelson.[2][65]

At the Battle of Shiloh on April 6–7, 1862, McClernand commanded the First Division of the Army of the Tennessee.[66] On April 5, 1862, McClernand responded to rumors and reports that the Confederates were preparing a surprise attack by sending out a cavalry party to scout but they did not go in the right direction or far enough in any event.[67] In the early morning of April 6, 1862, the regiment of Brigadier General William T. Sherman's Fifth Division on the left flank, stationed about a quarter-mile south and east of Shiloh Church, began to give way under Confederate attack and the colonel's panic.[68][69] McClernand had already begun to send troops forward to prevent Sherman's division from being outflanked.[70] By 9:30 a.m., Sherman's division was being attacked by six Confederate brigades.[71] After two hours of heavy fighting, Sherman's division fell back, despite some reinforcements from Brigadier General W. H. L. Wallace's Second Division.[7][72] About 10:00 a.m., Sherman's and McClernand's divisions linked up in a new position.[73] McClernand's division was organized but Sherman's men reached the new line only a few minutes before the Confederates.[74] Sherman's and McClernand's divisions were pushed back through the "Hornet's Nest", but held a firm line at Pittsburgh Landing as night fell. With the help of reinforcements Grant routed the Confederates with a devastating counterattack on April 7.

McClernand (right) with Abraham Lincoln during his inspection of the Antietam battlefield; Allan Pinkerton is standing at left.

McClernand's service as a major general was tainted by political maneuvering, which was resented by his colleagues.[65] He communicated directly with his commander-in-chief, President Lincoln, offering his criticisms of the strategies of other generals, including Major General George B. McClellan's in the Eastern Theater and Grant's in the West.[1][65][75]

In October 1862, McClernand used his political influence with Illinois Governor Richard Yates to obtain a leave of absence to visit Washington, D.C. and President Lincoln, hoping to receive an important independent command. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton agreed to order him north to raise troops for the expedition against Vicksburg which he initially would lead.[7]

Early in January 1863, at Milliken's Bend, McClernand superseded Sherman as the leader of the Union force that was to move down the Mississippi as part of the Vicksburg campaign. At Sherman's suggestion, McClernand led an expedition up the Arkansas River to capture the Confederates' Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post, Arkansas[7] The Battle of Arkansas Post, also known as Battle of Fort Hindman, was fought from January 9 to 11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River. On January 11, 1863, Arkansas Post fell to the Union force.[7] Sherman and acting Rear Admiral David D. Porter later convinced a disapproving Grant that leaving the Confederate garrison at Arkansas Post in place could have been an obstacle to the capture of Vicksburg.[76]

On January 17, Grant, after receiving the opinion of Admiral David Dixon Porter and General Sherman that McClernand was incompetent to lead further operations, united a part of his own troops with those of McClernand and assumed command in person and reduced McClernand to corps command.[77] Three days later he ordered McClernand back to Milliken's Bend. During the rest of the Vicksburg Campaign there was much friction between McClernand and his colleagues.[7] He intrigued for the removal of Grant, spreading rumors to the press of Grant drinking on the campaign.[78]

McClernand landed his men on the Mississippi River levee at Young's Point, where they "suffered from the heavy winter rains and lack of shelter. Tents were not issued to the troops because they were within range of the [Confederate] guns at Vicksburg; so the more enterprising men dug holes in the levee and covered them with their black rubber blankets. Floundering in knee-deep black mud and still exhausted from recent expeditions, numerous soldiers fell sick. Many cases of smallpox were reported. Hospital tents lined the back side of the levee and were crowded with thousands of sick men. Many died, and soon the levee was lined with new graves."[79]

It was Grant's opinion that at Champion Hill (May 16, 1863) McClernand was dilatory, but Grant bided his time, waiting for insubordination that was blatant enough to justify removing his politically powerful rival. After a bloody and unsuccessful assault against the Vicksburg entrenchments (ordered by Grant), McClernand wrote a congratulatory order to his corps, which also disparaged the efforts of the other corps.[7][80] This was published in the press, contrary to an order of the department and another of Grant that official papers were not to be published.[7][80] McClernand was relieved of his command on June 19, 1863, two weeks before the fall of Vicksburg, and was replaced by Major General Edward O. C. Ord.[80] The duty of notifying him of his dismissal fell to Lieutenant Colonel James H. Wilson, who'd held a grudge against him for an earlier chastising.[81] Once McClernand read the order, he exclaimed in shock "I am relieved!"[81] Then seeing the look on Wilson's face, he made a joke out if it by saying "By God sir, we are both relieved!".[81] Grant's order relieving him ordered him to go to any place in Illinois and contact the War Department for new orders.[82]

President Lincoln, who saw the importance of conciliating a leader of the Illinois War Democrats, restored McClernand to a field command in 1864.[2] On February 20, 1864, McClernand returned to his old XIII Corps, now part of the Department of the Gulf.[2] Illness (malaria) limited his role.[7] By the time the Red River Campaign commenced, McClernand had been replaced in command by Thomas E. G. Ransom. From April 27, 1864, through May 1, 1864, McClernand returned to the field to command the detachment of two divisions from the XIII Corps participating in the Red River Campaign.[2] He resigned from the Army on November 30, 1864.[1] McClernand rode on the funeral train of President Lincoln from Washington to Springfield Illinois, which departed from Washington on April 23, 1865, and arrived in Springfield on May 3, 1865.[83] There were eight divisions in Lincoln's funeral procession on May 4, 1865.[83] McClernand was at the front of the second division which preceded the hearse.[83]