Trivia #6 Estimating Confederates (9/17/2012)

[Trivia Master]

Tonight's Civil War Trivia Question Value: 10 points, 1 bonus point goes to the player with the first answer. This question will be open until Tuesday at 9pm EDT, when another question will be posted! As usual: Please do not post your answers anywhere but in this forum!
.
How many Confederates did McClellan tell Washington he expected to face at the Battle of Antietam?
.
Guests can now also participate in trivia without registering first! Of course we would love it if you did register, but it's not a requirement to play. So you no longer have any excuse, play War Between the States Trivia Today!
.
Click Reply and enter your answer here:

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Mph. He probably thought at least 100,000.

 

[Mustang Cdr]

On the eve of Antietam, McClellan would tell Washington he faced a gigantic Rebel army "amounting to not less than 120,000 men"

 

[adisciu9]

No less than "120,000" confederates.
By the way, the 150th reenactment this past weekend was excellent. The battlefield was packed with guides at each tour stop.

 

[Keith Cochran]

In a report to Lincoln on 10 September, he said that "statements I get regarding the enemy's forces that have crossed to this side range from 80,000 to 150,000.

Edit - I would recommend that players respond to questions of this nature with a single, specific number. If your answer is a range and the trivia master says the correct answer is a specific number, your answer will be marked wrong, even if the correct number is within the range that you stated.

Hoosier

 

[rpkennedy]

200,000

R

 

[boston]

50,000

 

[hoosier]

100,000

 

[jmb57]

not less than 120,000 men

 

[Bob Owen]

Not less than 120,000 men

 

[diane]

McClellan thought Lee had between 100,000 and 120,000 troops. I think he told Lincoln 120,000.

 

[TerryB]

120,000.

 

[Pvt.A.Wells]

Tonight's Civil War Trivia Question Value: 10 points, 1 bonus point goes to the player with the first answer. This question will be open until Tuesday at 9pm EDT, when another question will be posted! As usual: Please do not post your answers anywhere but in this forum!
.
How many Confederates did McClellan tell Washington he expected to face at the Battle of Antietam?
.
Guests can now also participate in trivia without registering first! Of course we would love it if you did register, but it's not a requirement to play. So you no longer have any excuse, play War Between the States Trivia Today!
.
Click Reply and enter your answer here:

120,000

 

[wedge]

Uh. If I'm not mistaken, he said "no less than 150,000 men".

Edit - Welcome to the trivia game, wedge.

Don't feel bad about not getting the correct answer to this question. You had a lot of company.

Hoosier

 

[Miles Krisman]

Tonight's Civil War Trivia Question Value: 10 points, 1 bonus point goes to the player with the first answer. This question will be open until Tuesday at 9pm EDT, when another question will be posted! As usual: Please do not post your answers anywhere but in this forum!
.
How many Confederates did McClellan tell Washington he expected to face at the Battle of Antietam?
.
Guests can now also participate in trivia without registering first! Of course we would love it if you did register, but it's not a requirement to play. So you no longer have any excuse, play War Between the States Trivia Today!
.
Click Reply and enter your answer here:

200,000

Edit - And welcome to you also, Miles. You have plenty of company as well.

Trust me, sometimes the questions are easier than this one.

Hoosier

 

[reading48]

McClellan reported...not less than 120 thousand?????

 

[BillO]

150,000

 

[Red Harvest]

Wow, lots of possible answers to this, as his numbers were all over the map and depend on when he told Washington (including an after the battle estimates he made.) McClellan's actions in any campaign never seem to match up to what he claims is the strength of the enemy... Analyzing the question:

How many Confederates did McClellan tell Washington he expected to face at the Battle of Antietam?

I read this as meaning his final estimate made for the fight at Antietam (not the lead up to South Mountain, etc. but standing on the field waiting for him in line at Antietam.) This should be pre-battle preferably, not post battle. The question is, did he make a numerical estimate in a dispatch to Washinton between South Mountain and Antietam?

I've done a quick check of Google and Sears' book and can't find a dispatch that states a number he expects to face. Instead I find earlier estimates as well as various post battle estimates by Little Mac. His 2nd battle report in the O.R. suggests 200,000 engaged. http://www.civilwarhome.com/mcclellanantietam2or.htm That number is just nuts and subtracting McClellan's entire force of 75-80,000 would result in 120,000 minimum for the ANV at Antietam. In various places Little Mac suggested the entire force arrayed against him was 120,000...but not necessarily at Antietam because of the belief that Lee's army was still somewhat divided. He did however state this as the total on Sept. 11, 1862 in a dispatch to Halleck, "amounting to not less than 120,000 men."

There is McClellan's final report many months later that says 97,745 Confederates were present at Antietam. http://antietam.aotw.org/exhibit.php?exhibit_id=19 However, in this McClellan gives his own force as 87,164 (of course many were never engaged.)

I guess I'll use Mac's final answer for my final answer: 97,745.

 

[kholland]

not less then 120,000 men

 

[stuart1861]

McClellan expected to face the Confederates "amounting to not less than 120,000 men," outnumbering the Army of the Potomac "by at least twenty-five per cent."