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Why do you think general George b McClellan did not finish off general Robert e lees troops when he had the chance?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Ottis Dickens
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoGood question.
It may have been his natural caution, and reluctance to move until everything was ready.
But there seems little doubt that Lee was in a vulnerable position, and could have been forced to surrender after Antietam/Sharpsburg in September 1862.
Many in Washington had come to mistrust McClellan's will to fight, and some suspected that he was a secret Confederate.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoDuring the battle,McClellan kept four divisions of soldiers in reserve and refused to use them to attack Lee's devastated army becouse McClellan was convinced that Lee was massing reserves for a counterattack.Those reserves did not exist.Despite this blunder,Antietam was an mportant victory.Lee's northward advance had been stopped.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoAt Antietam, Lee's much smaller army had fought McClellan's army to a standstill, and when AP Hill's division arrived and threw back the federals, McClellan got cautious. Lee serenely waited for the attack, which never came. Lee withdrew to Virginia.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoThat Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, could have been destroyed by McClellan is sheer speculation. Predicting how military campaigns will end up is always risky business. If Lee could have predicted the horrific results of the Battle at Antietam, he never would have conducted the raid into Maryland.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agocause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoMcClellan tended to be an overly cautious commander. Even when he had superior numbers, he always felt he needed more troops.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoMcClellan almost always over-estimated the strength of the enemy, and cautiously advanced accordingly.
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Who was the Union General of the Army of the Potomac?
George McClellan, he was later fired for slow reaction time, hired back by Lincoln, then fired again for not doing anything when he had a chance to crush the Confederacy. And after he was fired I believe it was George Meade.
What caused President Lincoln to criticize General McClellan after the Battle of Antietam?
The reasons behind Lincoln's dismissal of McClellan were complex. With that said, President Lincoln had few choices. Ambrose Burnside replaced General George B. McClellan after the Battle of Antietam. Prior to his final dismissal in November of 1862, McClellan was stripped of his army in favor of the new army under General John Pope. Most people believed that McClellan's career was over. However, Pope's defeat at the second Battle of Bull Run saw Lincoln restore McClellan as the leader of the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln's cabinet objected to give McClellan command of the Army of the Potomac, but Lincoln correctly reasoned that this army loved McClellan and would fight their best under his command.
What initial advantage did Union General George B McClellan fail to take advantage of at the beginning of the Peninsula Campaign?
The first blow would have been to take Yorktown by assault , taking advantage of the great superiority in number (4 to 1). Instead, McClellan preferred to invest the weak Confederate position by conducting a regular siege operation, which led to delay the advance towards Richmond for more than a month .
Did George McClellan fight in Gettysburg?
Yes, he won it. After a string of defeats by Robert E. Lee, nobody was expecting this Northern victory. But by chance, a Confederate officer dropped a set of orders in the field, and they were brought to McLellan's HQ. It meant the game was in his hands. But unfortunately there was a Confederate spy in his camp, who alerted Lee about this development. McLellan still won, but was not able to pursue and destroy Lee's army.
Why was the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia in the US Civil War Battle of Antietam the best chance to end the Southern rebellion early?
For all practical purposes, General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia was the key part of the South's military power. As it would be seen, as long as Lee and his army was capable of waging war, the South had hope. General George B. McClellan had two chances to destroy Lee's army.The first day was September 16, 1862. Lee's army was not intact, as part of it was still in transit from Harper's Ferry. Also, McClellan was at his peak and his return to command the Army of the Potomac was a welcomed event for the soldiers that respected him so much. Additionally, Lee himself was suffering from an injury. Either on the 16th or the 17th, the North had a two to one edge in troops. And they had the advantage of fighting on their own territory. McClellan could not take advantage of the elements strongly in his favor. As a result, Lee was able to retreat and fight again.
Why do you think General George mcclellan did not finish off General Robert E Lee troops when he had the chance?
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Why do you think General George McClellan did not finish off General Robert E. Lee's troops when he had the chance?
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Why do you think general George McClellan did not finish off general Robert e lee's troops when he had the chance?
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Why do you think general George b. McClellan did not finish off general Robert e. lee's troops when he had the chance?
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Why do you think general George b McClellan did not finish off Robert e lee's troops when he had the chance?
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Why do you think general George B. McClellan did not finish off Robert E. Lee's troops when he had the chance?
cause he can take advantage of LEEs army and take him as condfederacy prison
Why didn't general george b mcclellan finish off general Robert e lee's troops when he had the chance?
If you mean at Antietam, it was because he simply moved too slowly - as he always did in the opnion of Lincoln's cabinet.
Who did george mcclellan go against?
In the General Election of 1864, he ran as a Democrat against Lincoln. (He had a good chance of winning too.)
What officials helped George B McClellan to become an officer in the US Army when the US Civil War began?
George B. McClellan wanted to return to the US Army with a high rank. When the US Civil War began he had his chance. He was sponsored by the Republican Governor of Ohio, Dennison and had the support of General Winfield Scott. McClellan was commissioned as a major general of volunteers and was assigned to command regiments being formed in Indiana and Ohio.
Was there ever a chance that General George B McClellan planned on becoming the military dictator of the US?
General George B. McClellan was not happy with President Lincoln's initial Emancipation Proclamation of September 22, 1862. He learned of it on September 24, 1862. McClellan discussed possible responses to the proclamation with his closest confidants. As this was happening, officers loyal to McClellan, were said to be speaking about a possible military dictatorship. McClellan, however, was never involved in that. What he did do was to speak to his Democratic friends in New York City to determine how New Yorkers would respond if he openly opposed Lincoln's proclamation.
Who was the Union General of the Army of the Potomac?
George McClellan, he was later fired for slow reaction time, hired back by Lincoln, then fired again for not doing anything when he had a chance to crush the Confederacy. And after he was fired I believe it was George Meade.
What was the letter President Lincoln sent to General George B McClellan in October of 1862?
On October 13, 1862, President Lincoln sent General McClellan a long letter explaining the plans Lincoln believed were needed to defeat the South. Lincoln was almost sure that an aggressive Union response from McClellan's army would not be forthcoming. With that said, McClellan had every chance to keep his position if he even tried to execute the plans Lincoln sent to him.
