Winfield Scott resigns as Commander of the United States Army

Background. Winfield Scott served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861 and was a veteran of the War of 1812, the American Indian Wars, the Mexican-American War, and the early stages of the American Civil War. He developed a strategy known as the Anaconda Plan. In late 1861, President Lincoln increasingly relied on General George B. McClellan, and Scott retired during this period, with passages associating his diminished standing with that time.

Resignation. Frustrated with his diminished standing, Scott submitted his resignation in October 1861. The supplied passages state this timing at month precision and attribute the stated frustration rather than failing health. A separate passage records that Scott retired on November 1, 1861, the same date McClellan became general-in-chief; the resignation submission and the effective retirement are distinct dated occurrences.

Succession. General George B. McClellan became general-in-chief of all the Union armies on November 1, 1861, following Scott's retirement. McClellan had been summoned from western Virginia after the defeat at Bull Run. He served as Commanding General from November 1861 to March 1862, before being removed from the general-in-chief role.