November 13, 1861---The General-in-Chief snubs his Commander-in-Chief

NOVEMBER 13, 1861:         

President Abraham Lincoln pays a late night visit to General George McClellan, who Lincoln had recently named general in chief of the Union army. The general retired to his chambers before speaking with the president. This is the most famous example of McClellan's cavalier disregard for the president's authority. 

McClellan drew praise for his military initiatives but quickly developed a reputation for his arrogance and contempt toward the political leaders in Washington, D.C. To his wife, McClellan wrote that Lincoln was "nothing more than a well-meaning baboon," and Secretary of State William Seward was an "incompetent little puppy."