As the Federal Army of the Potomac continues inching toward Richmond, Abraham Lincoln conditionally approves George B. McClellan’s request for reinforcements.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
As the Federal Army of the Potomac continues inching toward Richmond, Abraham Lincoln conditionally approves George B. McClellan’s request for reinforcements.
Abraham Lincoln personally directs an operation that results in capturing one of the Confederacy’s most important naval bases.
George B. McClellan lands on the Virginia Peninsula with a huge manpower advantage, even though he has fewer men than he had expected.
Federals confront the Confederate “mosquito” fleet north of Albemarle Sound on the North Carolina coast, threatening nearby Elizabeth City in the process.
The Federal army-navy effort to seize North Carolina’s Outer Banks continues, with the potential reward being a strengthening of the naval blockade and the opening of an invasion route into southern Virginia.