The Mexican War diary and correspondence of George B. McClellan

"In his standard reference work on the Civil War, Generals in Blue, Ezra Warner declared George B. McClellan (1826-1885) "one of the most controversial figures in American military history." In this revealing book, Thomas W. Cutrer provides the definitive edition of McClellan's detailed diary and letters from his service in the Mexican War (1846-1848), during which he began the rise that culminated in being named general in chief of the Union forces and commander of the Army of the Potomac early in the Civil War." "McClellan graduated second in his class from West Point in 1846 and served as a second lieutenant in Company A of the prestigious Corps of Engineers, the only formation of combat engineers in the United States Army. The company participated in Major General Winfield Scott's invasion of Mexico, playing a prominent role in the siege of Vera Cruz and the battles of Cerro Gordo, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec and in the capture of Mexico City.^ Although only twenty-one years old at the war's end, McClellan earned brevet promotions to first lieutenant and then captain for his efforts." "McClellan's colorful diary and frequent letters to his socially and political