Hey everyone, welcome to episode number 128 of our Civil War podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

When we left off last time, it was January 1862, and Abraham Lincoln was in quartermaster

General Montgomery Miggs office, and the president was downcast over the dismal state of the Union

War effort. Lincoln admitted to Miggs that the bottom seemed to be out of the tub, and

he wasn't sure what to do about it.

The sympathetic Miggs listened to Lincoln's lament, and then suggested that since the general

in chief was sick with typhoid fever, and thus sidelined, perhaps the president might

consult with some of McClellan's top commanders and get their recommendations as to what they

thought ought to be done with the army. Lincoln immediately seized upon this idea, and

I do mean immediately, since he called a meeting at the White House at 8 o'clock that

very evening with General's Irvin McDowell and William B. Franklin.

Despite the taint of defeat stemming from bull run, McDowell was still with the army of

the Potomac. He was, in fact, the senior division commander. Franklin commanded one of the

army's other divisions, and was one of McClellan's personal friends and protegees. Lincoln

also called several cabinet members to that fateful January 10th emergency strategy session.

The president told the two generals that he was, quote, greatly disturbed at the state

of affairs, and, quote, and since McClellan was indisposed, he needed to speak with someone.

He told them he would like their opinion on how to commence operations with the army of

the Potomac, how to commence operations sooner rather than later. According to McDowell's

notes, the president said that, quote, if General McClellan didn't want to use the army,

...