George McClellan was a US Military Academy graduate with an exemplary record as a cadet. In 1857 he resigned his commission to enter the rapidly expanding railroad business, where he quickly demonstrated outstanding ability.

McClellan, appointed by Lincoln, was made commander of the main union army - named the Army of the Potomac, after having proved himself a reliable commander of the Ohio troops. He immediately began drilling the disorganized and demoralized regiments into a reliable fighting force. He is described as to have been very well liked by his soldiers. His biggest weakness was his speed, or lack thereof. "On one occasion Lincoln said if McClellan did not intent to use the

Due to his previous military training and experience (and quite possibly the influence of an Ill. Congressman) Grant was made Colonel of an Illinois regiment. "From these unpromising beginnings Grant would rise to become the supreme military leader of the Union in the war," (pg. 57) describes Charles Roland in his book, An American Iliad.

In late March, although Lincoln urged him to move forth McClelland laid deliberate siege to Yorktown and allowed Confederate troops to stretch across the lower peninsula of Virginia. This delayed the advance for almost a month. McClellan thought that there were many more troops then there really were, mainly because his chief intelligence agent, Allan Pinkerton, wasn't too intelligent at all: the Confederates had been tricking him.

After McClelland's failures in the field during the Seven Days' Battle, his absolute determinacy was shown, "I expect to maintain this contest until successful, or till

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 639
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)