Erase Every Devil of Them

Abstract

This chapter dissects the effects of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg on the army's organization as well as the army's activity during the crucial 1863 gubernatorial election season. Some Republican officers and men, including many who had led the war of words against Copperheads previously, knew of General McClellan's political positions and already considered him a threat to Northern unity in the struggle. The vast majority of the army still revered him, however. When General George Meade oversaw an effort to collect an army-wide testimonial of affection for McClellan, several Republican officers criticized the move in the press and ignited a partisan controversy. Soon after the scheme fell apart, McClellan endorsed the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania governor, an act which infuriated the army and disabused many of the general's previous admirers. The chapter assesses the army vote in the Ohio, Maine, and Wisconsin governor races as well.