March 13, 1862 (Thursday): Wool Ranks McClellan?

General John E. Wool

FORT MONROE, VA.,

                                                               March 13. 1962—2 a.m.

Hon. E. M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

   I received last evening a dispatch from the President that Major-General McClellan was no longer General-in-Chief of the Army, and that he was assigned to the Army of the Potomac.  The Army of the Potomac is not included in my department—the Department of South-eastern Virginia.  Since the above telegram I have received the following telegram from Major-General McClellan, viz:

   Can I rely on the Monitor to keep the Merrimac in check so that I can make Fort Monroe a base of operations?  Please answer at once.

   I have answered that he could rely on the Monitor; but if he makes Fort Monroe the base of operations—which should have been done months ago—I will rank him, and must command, for I am now in command by the President according to my brevet rank.  Please to answer.

                                                                                JOHN E. WOOL,

                                                                                     Major-General.

Official Records, Series I., Vol. 9, Part 1, Page 29.

McClellan had been relieved of the duties of General-in-Chief, since he would be in command of the Peninsula expedition and unable to coordinate with western commanders.  Wool was technically correct that he would rank McClellan at Fort Monroe, but Stanton assured McClellan later that afternoon that Wool would be relieved of command at whatever time McClellan got there. This is one of the many examples during the war of commanders strict observance of highly technical discussions of rank. The brevet rank Wool held was Major-General, and therin lies an interesting side note. Wool, a veteran of the War of 1812 earned his brevet during the Mexican War.  Technically, after McClellan's relief as General-in-Chief, Wool's rank was so senior he could only be given direct command by the Secretary of War.  At the time of this letter he had just turned 78.