What was mcclellan's view on the Battle of Antietam please help?

Answer 1

McClellan thought he had done a wonderful thing by expelling the Confederates from their invasion of the north. Lincoln had a better grasp of the situation, and thought it would have been much better to have captured or destroyed Lee's army, instead of letting them get away and calling it "expelling" them from Union territory. McClellan certainly had the best chance any Union general had up until the very end of the war of destroying Lee's army. Lee had only about 35,000 men, and McClellan had about 105,000. McClellan did not even put two of his seven army corps into the battle. The Confederates had their backs to the Potomac River, which was swollen with days of heavy rain, and only a single Ford to cross back to Virginia. The water in this ford was fast and neck deep. If he had put in his whole force and pressed the Confederates hard he could have destroyed Lee's army, without any doubt. As it was the Rebels were holding on by their fingertips when the fighting stopped as night fell. The next day the Confederates stayed on the battlefield, daring the Yankees to attack them again. Lee knew his opponent and knew McClellan never would. That night McClellan remained idle while the Confederates slipped away. Lincoln said he had the Rebels in the palm of his hand and all he had to do was close his hand, but, he did not.