civil war observation...

During the first couple of years of the civil war, Northern troops were not nearly as motivated to fight as Southerners. In addition, the union generals were primarily interested in NOT fighting. Instead, they tried to scare the South into submission by creating a massive army and making threatening gestures. Somehow, the Northern guys in charge of the army thought there were twice as many rebels under arms as there actually were. MacLellan usually thought he was outnumbered and failed to attack even when he actually had an overwhelming advantage. Back to troop motivation, the rebels felt they were protecting their homes and families, as well as their fellow troops. Meanwhile, the Union troops only knew they were trying not to get killed.

Things changed after the fallout settled from a few battles, like Antietam and Fredericksburg. Northern troops got really ticked off that the Rebels had killed and maimed so many of their brothers in arms. And, Lincoln signed the emancipation proclaimation, giving the North another reason to fight. By the time Grant took over the army, motivation had shifted significantly North. He still deserves a lot of credit, but the fact is he got a more experienced and more motivated bunch of troops than MacLellan had.

MacLellan made a bloody 12-month conflict into the full-blown Civil War we all know and hate. By constantly refusing to attack the rebels when he had an overwhelming advantage, he allowed the South to outfit itself with boots, guns, and ammo at the expense of dead and retreating Northern troops. The South won consistently in the first year, thus collecting tens of thousands of troops who would otherwise have run for the hills or wrapped themselves in the Stars and Stripes.