Famous then and later for over estimating the size ofConfederate armies, Major General George B. McClellan was falselyalarmed about the size of Confederate troops that would be soonthreatening Washington DC. In mid-August of 1861, he made it clearthat his Army of the Potomac, still in a training mode, would soonhave to face as many as 170,000 Southern troops. In reality, theRebel force in Northern Virginia at that time had only 45,000troops. At the same time his army had at least 80,000 men.