Army of the Potomac

American  

[ahr-mee uhv thuh puh-toh-muhk] / ˈɑr mi ʌv ðə pəˈtoʊ mək /

noun

U.S. History.

1. Union forces, trained and organized by General George B. McClellan, that guarded Washington, D.C., against a Confederate invasion across the Potomac and fought battles in the eastern sector during the Civil War.

2. Confederate forces from the Alexandria, Potomac, and Shenandoah districts from mid–1861 to mid–1862: later known as Army of Northern Virginia.

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Example Sentences

Gen. Ambrose Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac, “but if the couchant lion postpones his spring too long, people will begin wondering whether he is not a stuffed specimen after all.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

President Abraham Lincoln fired the his commander of the Army of the Potomac, Gen. George B. McClellan, in the civil war, and during the Korean War, President Truman dismissed Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2024

I am reminded of President Abraham Lincoln’s sarcastic request of the inert Gen. George McClellan that if the general was not planning to employ the Army of the Potomac, perhaps he could borrow it.

From Washington Post • Jan. 31, 2023

Now, Lee was kicking the Army of the Potomac all over Virginia.

From Washington Times • Oct. 1, 2022

Need I say that the men in the Army of the Potomac do not cheer General Burnside?

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt