Posted on 01/16/2012 10:19:34 AM PST by BigReb555
January is the birthday month of War Between the States Generals; James Longstreet born on January 8, 1821, Thomas Jonathan ‘Stonewall’ Jackson born on January 21, 1824, George Pickett born on January 28, 1825 and
Thursday, January 19, 2012, is the 205th birthday of General Robert E. Lee.
(Excerpt) Read more at canadafreepress.com ...
Grant was an excellent strategist as well. Did he make mistakes? Sure, and so did Lee. Grant knew how to use the advantages the union had in men and material and motivate his troops just as Lee knew how to make the best of what he had to work with.
What you put down as Serman’s “fame” is mythology as well, put forth by the defeated as an excuse for why they lost. It is pretty arrogant and ignorant to believe that the opposing force is not going to march into your territory and remove the means to continue to support your troops. Using that logic would say that allied forces should have stopped at the German border during WWII. You destroy the opposing forces ability to provide for their troops.
There were plenty of military targets in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Starving little children and murdering old men. Celebrate Sherman all you care to.
Do your duty in all things.
You cannot do more.
You should never wish to do less.
~R. E. Lee
To the people in the North it was a “Civil War.”
To the politicians and media in the South it was the “War for Southern Independence.”
To the people in the South who did the killing and the dying and their families it was the “War against Northern Agression.”
The women of the South carried the hate for years and were very unforgiving. My grandmother’s middle name was Lee, she was born 1902, her grandfather had served in the Army of Virginia.
Both were excellent tacticians but I would give Grant the edge because he really never made the same mistake twice. Lee's mistakes at Gettysburg mirrored his loss at Malvern Hill and the North's loss at Fredricksburg. Attacking an army which was dug in on higher ground generally proved suicidal in the Civil War. With regard to strategy Grant was flat out superior. I don't really find much strategy at all on Lee's part at all other than to invade the North twice and both campaigns were failures and accomplished nothing but to weaken the South. The Gettyburg campaign never should have been undertaken and Longstreets plan to devote more resources to the Western campaign instead was the better play.
Yes, but Washington chose the right side and Lee chose the wrong one. However, Lee was well respected during and after the war by both sides. It just seems the war would have been much shorter and much less bloody had Lee chosen the Union. Some justified Civil War losses as God's punishment for slavery and the Mexican War.
I read Grant’s memoirs recently. If you have a Kindle, you can download it for free at Amazon.
He had a lot of respect for Lee, but at the same time, he was emphatic in his view that Lee was misrepresented by the press as a much greater general than he was. Having fought with Lee in Mexico, he knew that Lee was not invincible. The media in both the South and the North, however, portrayed him as such.
As far as his military philosophy was concerned, his was not all that different from Lee’s. He believed that he who attacks offensively carries the day, particularly after he’s demonstrated a time or two that he can do so and prevail. At that point, the opponent becomes demoralized, and is easily made to retreat.
As I stated, Lee had the same philosophy, but at Gettysburg, he took it way too far. He apparently began to believe that he WAS invincible. There is really no other way to describe the battle plan he concocted. It was pure recklessness.
My grandmother’s middle name was also “Lee”.
She was born in 1900.
Her grandfather:
3/4/1862-enlisted-49th Regiment, Ga. Volunteer Inf., Army of Northern VA., Company A;
8/9/1862-Wounded at Cedar Run, Virginia-amputated right thumb;
7/3/1863-Wounded at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-in artillery barrage;
4/3/1865-Captured in hospital at Richmond, Virginia;
4/31/1865-Prisoner Of War in Richmond, Virginia;
6/25/1865-Released at Newport News, Virginia.
“Lee really messed up big at Gettysburg though.”
Gettysburg was NOT considered, by either side, as a game changer back when it happened, and for a long time afterwards. Those who win the wars get to write the histories.
Washington, Jefferson, Lee, Jackson and so many others - makes me proud my roots were there.
My Grandmother’s grandfather enlisted in the Georgia 21st Infantry and was at the Battle of the 2nd Manassas. The first day was known as the Battle of Groverton. The Ga. 21st was under General Thomas Jacksons command. He was discharged and sent home Oct, 1862 with the measles and re-enlisted Spring 1863 in the Georgia 8th Infantry and was wounded June 1864 at Cold Harbor, Virginia. He was sent home to recuperate but was unable to return.
“Strike the tents”
My wife still feels this way today and has never crossed the Mason-Dixon line.
“...we have had enough eulogized of this loser...”
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What is your purpose for being here?
The funny thing these Yankees forget is the Northern States are now full of hard-core democrats and Communists when it come time to vote.
The South is where more Conservatives are located today.
Read Grant’s, Sherman’s, and now am working on Sheridan’s. I did not know about Longstreet’s, but will take a look at it as well.
Sherman’s was actually very interesting. He becomes a bit defensive at points. He virtually ignores the burning of Atlanta. He talks about the burning of Columbia, mainly to disavow any intent on his part to burn it.
What was most interesting to me was to see the names of places I’m familiar with in there.
My favorite part of the book though, was a part about the aftermath of Bull Run. Some soldier came up to him and told him he was leaving for home in the morning, to which Sherman replied, “How can you leave? I have not signed any such papers.” The soldier explained that he had a 90 day enlistment, and needed to get back to his law practice as his enlistment had expired some days earlier. Sherman, seeing that other soldiers were listening, realized that if this guy were permitted to leave, his entire regiment would soon leave as well. Therefore he shouted for everyone to hear that “You are forbidden to leave, and if you do, I will track you down and have you shot!”
The soldier was of course shocked, but did not challenge him. Later in the day, Lincoln came by in a buggie to see how his troops were doing. Sherman, of course, met Lincoln and arranged for the President to speak to his men. The lawyer approached, and told Lincoln that he had a grievance. Pointing to Sherman, he said “He threatened to shoot me!”
Lincoln said, “Threatened to shoot you?”
“Yes sir... Threatened to shoot me.”
Lincoln looked at the man, then looked at Sherman. Then looked at the man, and then looked at Sherman. Then he said to the man, “Well, if he threatened to shoot you, then I would be very afraid, because I believe he would do it.”
The men standing around broke out laughing. Later, Sherman explained what had happened to Lincoln, and he responded, “Well I did not know what it was about, but I figured you know your business.” Sherman assured Lincoln that the President’s reaction would make it much easier to maintain discipline in the future.
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