Pleasonton, always more of a bureaucrat than an ideologue or strong leader, only wanted to defeat the South's military capabilities so that they could not threaten the rest of the states, but was not convinced that "crushing" the rebels, ending slavery, or reelecting Lincoln was worth the cost.
Pleasonton, som altid var mere bureaukrat end ideolog eller stærk leder, ønskede blot at besejre Syden militært, så den ikke kunne true de andre stater, men var ikke overbevist om, at det kunne betale sig at knuse rebellerne, afskaffe slaveriet eller genvælge Lincoln.