Editing George B. McClellan (section)

===Mexican–American War 1846–1848===
McClellan's first assignment was with a company of engineers formed at West Point, but he quickly received orders to sail for the Mexican War. He arrived near the mouth of the [[Rio Grande]] in October 1846, well prepared for action with a double-barreled shotgun, two pistols, a saber, a dress sword, and a [[Bowie knife]]. He complained that he had arrived too late to take any part in the American victory at [[Battle of Monterrey|Monterrey]] in September. During a temporary armistice in which the forces of Gen. [[Zachary Taylor]] awaited action, McClellan was stricken with [[dysentery]] and [[malaria]], which kept him in the hospital for nearly a month. Malaria would recur in later years; he called it his "Mexican disease."<ref name="UHeh4" /> He served as an engineering officer during the war, was frequently subject to enemy fire, and was appointed a brevet [[First Lieutenant#United States|first lieutenant]] for his services at [[Battle of Contreras|Contreras]]<ref name="ZZECN" /> and [[Battle of Churubusco|Churubusco]]<ref name="Ciy8T" /> and to [[Captain (U.S. Army)|captain]] for his service at [[Battle of Chapultepec|Chapultepec]].<ref name="Eicher371" /> He performed reconnaissance missions for Maj. Gen. [[Winfield Scott]], a close friend of McClellan's father.<ref name="Sa644" />

McClellan's experiences in the war would shape his military and political life. He learned that flanking movements (used by Scott at [[Battle of Cerro Gordo|Cerro Gordo]]) were often better than frontal assaults, and the value of siege operations ([[Siege of Veracruz|Veracruz]]). He witnessed Scott's success in balancing political with military affairs and his good relations with the civil population as he invaded, enforcing strict discipline on his soldiers to minimize damage to property. McClellan also developed a disdain for volunteer soldiers and officers, particularly politicians who cared nothing for discipline and training.<ref name="nNVLt" />