John G. Nicolay, A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln, condensed from Nicolay and Hayes' Abraham Lincoln: A History

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Chapter 21.

McClellan's illness

-- Lincoln Consults McDowell and Franklin -- President's plan against Manassas -- McClellan's plan against Richmond -- Cameron and Stanton -- President's War order no. I -- Lincoln's questions to McClellan -- news from the West -- death of Willie Lincoln -- the Harper's Ferry Fiasco -- President's War order no. 3 -- the news from Hampton Roads -- Manassas evacuated -- movement to the Peninsula -- Yorktown -- the Peninsula campaign -- seven days battles -- retreat to Harrison's Landing

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We have seen how the express orders of President Lincoln in the early days of January, 1862, stirred the Western commanders to the beginning of active movements that brought about an important series of victories during the first half of the year. The results of his determination to break a similar military stagnation in the East need now to be related.

The gloomy outlook at the beginning of the year has already been mentioned. Finding on January 10 that General McClellan was still ill and unable to see him, he called Generals McDowell and Franklin into conference with himself, Seward, Chase, and the Assistant Secretary of War; and, explaining to them his dissatisfaction and distress at existing conditions, said to them that “if something were not soon done, the bottom would be out of the whole affair; and if General McClellan did not want to use the army, he would like ”