Abraham Lincoln urges George B. McClellan to move his Federal army back into Virginia, but McClellan is more concerned about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Abraham Lincoln urges George B. McClellan to move his Federal army back into Virginia, but McClellan is more concerned about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
Abraham Lincoln leaves Washington to visit George B. McClellan and inspect the Federal Army of the Potomac after the Battle of Antietam.
News of the Emancipation Proclamation spreads throughout the country and does not quite get the reception that Abraham Lincoln had hoped for.
George B. McClellan seeks more approval from Washington and condemns the Emancipation Proclamation, while Abraham Lincoln addresses reports of disloyalty within the army.
After issuing an order freeing all slaves in Confederate states, Abraham Lincoln issues a second order curtailing freedoms for Confederate sympathizers in the northern states.
Abraham Lincoln issues his decree stating “that all persons held as slaves” within rebellious areas “are, and henceforward shall be free” if those areas do not submit to Federal authority by January 1.