Historian and biographer Stephen W. Sears observed that McClellan's actions would have been "essentially sound" for a commander who was as outnumbered as McClellan thought he was, but McClellan in fact rarely had less than a two-to-one advantage over the armies that opposed him in 1861 and 1862.
Historikeren og levnedsskildreren Stephen W. Sears har kaldt McClellans handlinger for "grundlæggende fornuftige" hvis han havde været i undertal i en grad som han troede, men McClellan havde rent faktisk sjældent mindre end en 2:1 overvægt over sine fjender i 1861 og 1862.