Question

Why did Lincoln agree to set aside the Anaconda Plan in favor of McClellan’s strategy?

Answer 1

Initially, McClellan was trusted a military leader. He was able to successful train and equip the US military against the Confederacy. His planning proved to be detailed however, his perfectionist qualities made him slow to move and often without the aggression needed to fight the Confederacy. His plan was, theoretically, a good one in which troops would move east and come at Virginia from the water. This attack was aimed right at Richmond and if successful would have ended the war. 

Answer 2

He was receiving political pressure from his constituents.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Anaconda Plan was created by Union General Winfield Scott, and came into use in 1862. It instituted a siege of the Confederacy by the Union, through a naval blockade, to control the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River, thereby fencing and dividing the Confederation.

Many people disapproved of this plan because, according to them, it was a very slow and passive plan, these people made political pressure on the president of the republic, causing Lincoln to abandon the Anaconda plan and adopt the McClellan strategy