NextPrevious

Army of Northern Virginia: February to September 1862

Appearance of Robert E. Lee

Why did McClellan not press his advantage?

The answer remains the same as before: he constantly overestimated the numbers of his foes. But by this point there was also a real defeatism that had crept into McClellan’s mind. He began firing telegraph messages that claimed the Confederates had 150,000, even 200,000, men and that his army might soon perish.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Civil War Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App