With the Federals badly demoralized in and around Washington, Abraham Lincoln reluctantly restores George B. McClellan to overall command.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
With the Federals badly demoralized in and around Washington, Abraham Lincoln reluctantly restores George B. McClellan to overall command.
The Federal armies outside Washington suffer from demoralization following military failure, with many blaming George B. McClellan for not doing enough to help in the crisis.
Horace Greeley publishes an editorial in his influential New York Tribune that prompts a rare public response from President Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln hosts a conference of black men at the White House, where he reiterates his desire that they voluntarily leave America.
Abraham Lincoln orders the drafting of militia into the Federal armies and allows for the recruitment of blacks as military combatants for the first time.
Abraham Lincoln issues a proclamation warning southerners to stop aiding and abetting the Confederacy or risk having their property, including slaves, confiscated by military force.