Two corps of the Army of the Potomac were under General McClellan's control at Alexandria. They were General Sumner's Second Corps and General Franklin's Sixth Corps. This totaled 25,000 troops. McClellan saw General Pope as incompetent and did not want to waste good troops to save Pope's hopeless situation. General in Chief Henry W. Halleck ordered McClellan to send these troops to reinforce Pope. McClellan held back these troops as long as possible. McClellan also urged General Pope to not engage the Rebel troops and to retreat to the north.
George b McClellan was a Union general. All the generals do is command their troops.
He was great at organizing troops,but was very slow to take action
On the evening of June 25, 1862, Union General George B. McClellan wired Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton that he requires more troops . McClellan tells Stanton that he believes that the Confederates have in excess of 200,000 troops as the first day of the Seven Days Battles had begun. He informs Stanton that he has just returned from the field of battle and despite his disadvantage he shall battle the Confederates with the power he does have, and will try to repulse any enemy attacks. McClellan had time time telegraph Stanton 4 times that day. One of his requests for reinforcements to Stanton is answered by President Lincoln.Lincoln assures McClellan that he has sent as many troops as he can and to believe that he ( Lincoln ) has been withholding troops is not true. In this telegraph message to McClellan, Lincoln informs the general that he has fully understood the general's belief that there is a strong probability that he will be overwhelmed by the 200,000 enemy troops that he believes are now against McClellan.
Major General George B. McClellan had rested his troops after the Battle of Antietam. This displeased President Lincoln who urged McClellan to pursue the Rebel army south of the Potomac River. Finally, McClellan followed the advice of Lincoln and on October 26, 1862, Union troops began their crossing of the Potomac River. General Lee had expected some degree of Federal pursuit in October, but he did not know to what exactly the plan of the Federals would be. Once Lee knew that McClellan's troops were over the Potomac, he sent General Longstreet eastward and General Jackson would keep his position in the Shenandoah Valley. McClellan's forces marched slowly, covering only 35 miles in eleven days. Lee had marched his troops quickly and joined Longstreet in Culpepper, Virginia. When President Lincoln realized that neither generals Longstreet nor Jackson moved their troops with no Union interference, he relieved McClellan of duty as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
General Lee won the war in a funny way. He put steeping stones to keep his troops out of Richmond.
General Irvin McDowell who lost the battle
US President Lincoln believed that General George B. McClellan could have easily supported and reinforced Pope's Army of Virginia. Lincoln and members of his cabinet believed that McClellan was trying to purposely allow Pope's troops to face a defeat.
Although Major General George B. McClellan was not part of the Second Battle of Bull Run, he estimated that General Lee had 120,000 troops. This was double the actual number of troops that General Lee had at his disposal. McClellan's estimate was based on numerous rumors instead of actual facts. McClellan had consistently over estimated the number of Rebel troops that were operating in Northern Virginia.
George b McClellan was a Union general. All the generals do is command their troops.
As the actual Battle of Antietam was soon to take place, General McClellan miscalculated the number of troops that Confederate General Robert E. Lee had on September 15, 1862, just two days from the Battle of Antietam.In actuality, Lee had only one half of the troops that General McClellan believed he had. If McClellan had attacked Lee's forces on the 15th of September, by all counts, the Army of Northern Virginia would have lost an overwhelming amount of its troops. As it happened, Lee had only 18,000 troops ready to fight versus McClellan's 40,000 troops. McClellan failed to attack.
General McClellan, in 1861, recommended that 20,000 troops were needed to defend Washington DC. With other troops stationed in the vicinity , additional reinforcements could be rapidly sent to the defense of the capitol.
Major General George B. McClellan was unaware that President Lincoln wanted to replace him. McClellan and his War Democrat supporters considered McClellan the hero of Antietam. By the end of October 1862, McClellan had rebuilt his Army of the Potomac to 120,000 troops. He had only 70,000 troops at the battle of Antietam.
He was great at organizing troops,but was very slow to take action
General McClellan was aware of how President Lincoln had used troops to secure the border slave state of Maryland. McClellan was also aware that the port of Baltimore could be a Confederate target. With that in mind he recommended in 1861 that 5,000 troops should be garrisoned in Baltimore.
Union Major General Irvin McDowell, on the morning of July 21, 1861.
On the evening of June 25, 1862, Union General George B. McClellan wired Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton that he requires more troops . McClellan tells Stanton that he believes that the Confederates have in excess of 200,000 troops as the first day of the Seven Days Battles had begun. He informs Stanton that he has just returned from the field of battle and despite his disadvantage he shall battle the Confederates with the power he does have, and will try to repulse any enemy attacks. McClellan had time time telegraph Stanton 4 times that day. One of his requests for reinforcements to Stanton is answered by President Lincoln.Lincoln assures McClellan that he has sent as many troops as he can and to believe that he ( Lincoln ) has been withholding troops is not true. In this telegraph message to McClellan, Lincoln informs the general that he has fully understood the general's belief that there is a strong probability that he will be overwhelmed by the 200,000 enemy troops that he believes are now against McClellan.
On April 3, 1862, US President Lincoln is upset that General George B. McClellan has left less than 20,000 troops to guard Washington DC. McClellan was concerned about his Peninsula Campaign. Lincoln refuses to allow any of General McDowell's forces to join McClellan. This causes a rift between Lincoln and McClellan.