Up until this point in the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln has struggled to hire an effective General who can satisfy the demands of leading the largest Army in the Civil War, the Army of the Potomac. Here are the previous leaders:

Robert E. Lee, was the first offered the role. Lee rejected the offer.

Winfield Scott, a War of 1812 veteran, who at the age of 75, was merely too old for the task at hand. He designed the failed Anaconda Plan and oversaw the disaster at the first battle of Bull Run.

Irwin McDowell, who, after multiple defeats to the Confederate Army, became suspect by some of his own soldiers that he was in kahoots with the enemy. The frustration from his own troops led to the promotion of the next General:

George B. McClellan, a soldier's favorite, delayed fighting for fear of having insufficient supplies/resources/soldiers to defeat Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The reality was his Army was much greater in numerical size and fully resourced compared to Lee's army. He should have defeated Lee soundly at Antietam. McClellan's constant delays required a new change in military strategy:

Ambrose Burnside, pressured to not act as indecisive as his predecessor, McClellan, made a disastrous charge at Fredericksburg, and coupled that with another disastrous march that is famously known as "The Mud March." Burnside is quickly replaced with:

Joseph Hooker, having a bold plan for the Spring/Summer months of 1863, he is quickly faced with the terrible defeat at Chancellorsville, after which multiple subordinate officers stated they would never work with Maj. Gen. Hooker again.

Lincoln is now tasked again with the need to find a new Major General for his Army. Click Here for directions.