Re: ANHOW Review of Books: The Warrior Generals: Combat Leadership in the Civil War -- Adilbrand Noblesword's Hall of Warriors

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Date Posted: 16:39:55 11/15/03 Sat
Author: mt. Healthy mountaineer
Subject: Re: ANHOW Review of Books: The Warrior Generals: Combat Leadership in the Civil War
In reply to: clifford knowlton 's message, "Re: ANHOW Review of Books: The Warrior Generals: Combat Leadership in the Civil War" on 08:55:33 11/13/03 Thu

That campaign (Chatanooga) would be the moment where the three of them came together at the same time. Buell goes on at length in his book about the ineffective use of Thomas in that campaign.

Lee is such a legend that it becomes difficult to honestly and fairly judge him. If you are a fan of him, you are an intellectual light-weight - ill-informed and learned it all from your high school history book. If you criticize him you're a revisionist - just out to knock down icons to build a name for yourself.

Here are my thoughts on the man. He was an enigma in a lot of ways - the slave-holder that hated slavery but did not free any of his own. However, he pressed for freeing the slaves and arming them as early as 1863. He was the family man that was constantly away from the family. The non-religious church attender. What he was was full of contradictions - like all of us. So, I am not going to hold his feet to the fire for that.

Have you visited the Gettysburg Battlefield? If so, you've seen the statue of Lee at the starting point of the infamous Pickett's Charge. For all of his faults as a commander, I know this - I stood there at that starting point and looked across a 1/2 mile of cornfield and thought to myself - would I do it? Would I charge across there to attack the Yankees behind a stone wall with no protection? If Grant said do it - I'd say, "Hell no!" But, if Lee had looked at me and said, "Boy - just charge across there, break that Yankee line and the war's over!" (Because it would've been - it would've broken the Union's back) - I would've done it. No doubt in my mind. Would I have been scared - absolutely. But, I would have done it. That in my mind makes a great general.

Lee inspired his men to do more than they ever should have. He looked to Washington as his example and in a lot of ways he did a better job than his hero. He won and won and won. But, his enemy was more determined (and ironically, they could look to Washington as their example as well since he lost and lost and lost and still won the war - just like the Army of the Potomac against Lee) than Washington's.

You might want to read the book review I will post shortly about "April 1865" by Jay Winik.

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