[nukkad] Leader's Impact

[adheer <>]

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If the gods listened to the prayers of men, all humankind would 
quickly perish since they constantly pray for many evils to befall 
one another. -Epicurus, philosopher (c. 341-270 BCE)
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In september of 1862, the civil war tilted decisively
in favor of the south. The morale of the northern army
dipped to its lowest point of the war. Large numbers
of Union troops were in full retreat in Virginia.
Northern leaders began to fear the worst. They saw no
way to reverse the situation and turn the beaten,
exhausted troops into a useful army again. 

There was only one general with the ability to work
such a miracle. That was General George McClellan. He
had trained the men for combat and they admired him.
But neither the war department nor the rest of the
cabinet members saw this connection. Only president
Abraham Lincoln recognized Gen. McLellan's leadership
skills. 

Fortunately, Lincoln ignored the protests of his
advisors and reinstated McClellan back in command. He
told the general to go down to Virginia and give those
soldiers something no other man on earth could give
them: enthusiasm, strength and hope. McClellan
accepted the command. He mounted his great black horse
and cantered down the dusty Virginia roads. 

What happened next is hard to describe. Northern
leaders couldn't explain it. Union soldier couldn't
explain it either. Even McLellan couldn't quite
explain what happened. Gen. McClellan met the
retreating Union columns, waved his cap in the air and
shouted words of encouragement. When the worn out men
saw their beloved teacher and leader, they began to
take heart once again. They were moved with an
unshakeble felling that now things could be different,
that finally things could be all right again. 

Bruce Catton, the great civil war historian, describes
this excitement that grew when word spread that
McClellan was back in command. "Down mile after mile
of Virginia roads the stumbling column came alive. Men
threw their caps and knapsacks into the air, and
yelled until they could yell no more... because they
saw this dapper little rider outlined agains the
purple starlight. 

"And this, in a way, was the turning point of the war.
... No one could ever quite explain how it happened.
But whatever it was, it gave president Lincoln and the
north what was needed. And history was forever changed
because of it." 

The story of Gen. McClellan illustrates dramatically
the impact a leader can have on the human spirit. 
 




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