 During the summer and fall , McClellan brought a high degree of organization to his new army , and greatly improved its morale with frequent trips to review and encourage his units . It was a remarkable achievement , in which he came to personify the Army of the Potomac and reaped the adulation of his men . He created defenses for Washington that were almost impregnable , consisting of 48 forts and strong points , with 480 guns manned by 7 @,@ 200 artillerists . The Army of the Potomac grew in number from 50 @,@ 000 in July to 168 @,@ 000 in November , becoming the largest military force the United States had raised until that time . But this was also a time of tension in the high command , as he continued to quarrel frequently with the government and the general @-@ in @-@ chief , Lt. Gen. Scott , on matters of strategy . McClellan rejected the tenets of Scott 's Anaconda Plan , favoring instead an overwhelming grand battle , in the Napoleonic style . He proposed that his army should be expanded to 273 @,@ 000 men and 600 guns and " crush the rebels in one campaign . " He favored a war that would impose little impact on civilian populations and require no emancipation of slaves . 
