Hey everyone, thanks for downloading episode number 171 of our Civil War.

I'm Rich and I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Welcome to the podcast. So with the last couple of shows we've

covered quite a lot as we transition from the peninsula campaign and the seven days to second

monasis, which is the next major battle on the timeline. And as we make that transition, there are a lot

of moving parts to keep track of as far as what was happening, especially for the union. Right,

there's the increasing tension between Abraham Lincoln and McClellan and also between McClellan

and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and between Little Mac and the new general and chief Henry

Hallock. Oh, and we can't forget the increasing tension between McClellan and John Pope.

And then after McClellan's failure at the gates of Richmond, there's the major shift taking

place in the union war effort from soft war to hard war. Remember the soft war approach was

conciliatory looking to restore the union and bring the south back into the fold with as little

fuss and muss as possible. With the hard war approach, however, the rebellious south was to be

treated not as wayward, misguided colleagues, but as a deadly enemy, a dangerous foe to be

defeated, to be subjugated, vanquished, conquered, using every means at the government's disposal,

including emancipation. And with all of that swirling about in the background, there were also the

events taking place on the ground. The formation of the union's new army of Virginia, commanded by Pope,

and the decision to pull the army of the Potomac off the peninsula with the intention of forming

a junction in northern Virginia between the two union armies. And although it was uncertain,

just who would command that force, things weren't looking good for George McClellan,

since Lincoln and Stanton would be happy to just park Little Mac on the sidelines somehow.

But what you may be wondering was Robert E. Lee up to, while all of that high drama was going

on over across the lines. Well, the first order of business for Lee was to repair his battered army.

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