"Blacks did the same kinda work for the same people... The only difference was they were paid terrible wages, loaned money by their bosses to get by, and in essence lived as slaves well into 20th century..."

Right on, Bobert. That is the sad truth of what really happened to Black people after the war, Emancipation Proclamation or no Emancipation Proclamation. That's the part that doesn't get acknowledged, and it's why such a hard struggle had to be fought in our time, in the 50's and 60's for civil rights, and why some good people died in the process.

The War Between the States did not really do much to change the miserably awful conditions Blacks were suffering under, it simply crushed the independent aspirations of the South, wrecked their society, and opened the door for northern industrialists and carpetbaggers to pillage and profit.

I don't call that a great accomplishment, I call it a national tragedy on a gigantic scale.

*****

McClellan was an odd case. He was probably unequalled in his talent for drilling and training a spit and polish army. He was tremendously popular with the rank and file of his soldiers...partly because he tried to avoid exposing them to heavy losses in battle. In fact, "Little Mac" was so popular with the Army of the Potomac that he probably could have launched a coup and taken over the government, had he chosen to. They liked him way better than they did Lincoln.

On the other hand, he was a VERY ineffective battle commander, due to his hesitation to commit, his reluctance to take any risks, his inability to capitalize on a developing situation, his positive gift for siezing a draw out of the jaws of a victory. ;-) He badly mishandled the Peninsular Campaign, due to his timidity and his gross overestimation of the size of the Southern forces. He could have crushed Lee's army at Antietam, but he let Lee fight to a ragged draw and then he let Lee's army escape.

Incredible, really! Lincoln must have been almost beside himself with frustration.

And Lee must have figured God was surely on his side... ;-) But they all figured that.