Question

the passage below comes from a letter that general mcclellan wrote to lincolns secretary of war in 1862. use it to answer the question below.
i have lost this battle to capture richmond because my force was too small. i have seen too many dead and wounded comrades to feel otherwise than this government has not sustained this army. if you do not do so now the game is lost. if i save this army now, i tell you plainly that i owe no thanks to you or any other person in washington. you have done the best to sacrifice this army.
sustained: supported
which of the following conclusions is best supported by this passage?
mcclellan felt the lincoln administration had supported the army well.
mcclellan was happy that the union army failed to capture richmond.
mcclellan blamed the lincoln administration for the union armys problems.
mcclellan was confident that his army would capture richmond quickly.

Explanation:

The passage states McClellan blames the government (Lincoln Administration) for not supporting his army, which he claims caused the loss at Richmond. He accuses Washington officials of trying to sacrifice the army, directly contradicting the first option. He expresses distress over casualties, so he is not happy about the failure (second option). He already lost the battle, so he can't be confident about quickly capturing Richmond (fourth option). Only the third option aligns with his statements.

Answer:

McClellan blamed the Lincoln Administration for the Union army's problems.