Mission Command Paper- Mccllean at Antietam

It was the summer of 1862, at the height of the American Civil War. The war effort in the North needed reinvigoration. President Lincoln saw the Emancipation of the slaves and the abolishment of slavery as the solution. Emancipation would bring volunteers and resources to the North in support of a new moral cause for the war. Critical to that end was a large Union victory that would prevent European powers from aiding and recognizing the Confederacy. The Army of Northern Virginia had begun its Northern Campaign in an attempt to take the Union capital of Washington D.C. and end the War. Under command of Gen Robert E. Lee, the Confederates had won a series of successful victories in defense of Virginia against a series of ill-fated Union Campaigns in 1861. In command of the Union Army was Major Gen. George B. McClellan. McClellan was a West Point Graduate, a staunch democrat, and professional soldier schooled in Napoleonic warfare. He was loved by his men and extremely protective of his Army. In the words of President Lincoln, “If he can’t fight himself, he excels at making others ready to fight”. Lincoln had fired McClellan in 1861 for being insubordinate and overly cautious in battle. However, McClellan’s ability to rebuild the Union Army after the unsuccessful 1861 campaign motivated Lincoln to give McClellan command of the Army for the second time in 1862. Unfortunately, on September 15, 1862; outside of Sharpsburg Maryland and paralleling Antietam Creek; McClellan made the same habitual mistakes in leadership that had gotten him relieved the previous year. Major Gen. McClellan did not exercise the principles of Mission command at the Battle of Antietam. His actions over the three-day battle resulted in a missed opportunity to end the war, and his subsequent relief of command.

On September 16, 1862, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and his Army of 87,000 men met the 56,000 soldiers of Gen Robert E. Lee at Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle began on September 17...