Lincoln as Commander in Chief

[LincolnMan]

Perhaps this thread could look at how Lincoln handled his duties as Commander in Chief- his successful moves as well as his blunders. I got the idea for this thread while reading the book Father Abraham: Lincoln's Relentless Struggle to End Slavery by Richard Striner. On pages 184 and 185, Striner mentions that Lincoln did not like the plan that was in place for General Burnside to attack Lee via the Rappahannock River. The situation on the ground had changed since Lincoln had initially given the "okay" for the attack plan. However, both Burnside and Halleck rejected Lincoln's new plan. Thus, the Battle of Fredericksburg took place-and as we all know-was a Union disaster. Now in this particular instance, Lincoln's keen sense for things (without any formal military education) told him that something had to change to meet what had changed with the situation. Potentially, had his generals listened to him, maybe the battle would have had totally different results. Yet, at the same time, maybe Lincoln as Commander in Chief should have ordered the changes in the plan. What do you all think? What other examples can you think of that demonstrate-good or bad-Lincoln's handling of the Commander in Chief role?