Icon of the Civil War, but just how great a general was Robert E Lee? – Belfast Newsletter
Posted: September 28, 2020 at 11:56 pm
In April 1861 Lee declined command of the entire Northern army, resigned from the army in which he had served for 36 years and followed Virginia out of the Union. Although opposed to secession, he said: I cannot draw my sword against my native state.
Although Lee described slavery as an amoral and political evil in 1856, claims that he never owned a slave himself and that he freed those that had belonged to his father-in-law are now widely dismissed as popular mythology.
Despite lack of manpower and material, Lees military genius was the principal factor in keeping the Confederacy alive. He was a legend in his own lifetime. In May 1862 Stonewall Jackson wrote: Lee is the only man I know whom I would follow blindfold. His soldiers, to whom he was either Uncle Robert or Marse Robert, idolised him.
In his classic memoir Co Aytch (Company H) Sam Watkins, who served in the Confederacys First Tennessee Infantry and saw action in battles from Siloh to Nashville, thought Lee looked like some good boys grandpa. I felt like going up to him and saying good evening Uncle Bob! His whole make-up of form and person, looks and manner had a kind and soothing magnetism about it that drew everyone to him and made them love, respect and honor him. I fell in love with the old gentleman and felt like going home with him.
Yet mild-mannered Lee was an audacious and ferociously aggressive military commander.
When Lee took command in Virginia, George B McClellan seriously misjudged his opponent by observing that Lee is too cautious and weak under grave responsibility personally brave and energetic to a fault, he is wanting in moral firmness when pressed by heavy responsibility and is likely to be timid and irresolute in action. If McClellan had possessed greater critical self-awareness he would have realised he was describing himself.
Although strategically a Union victory (because McClellan halted Lees advance into Maryland), Antietam was a tactical Confederate victory because the timid Lee had fought an army almost twice the size of his own to a standstill by moving his army across the battlefield to repulse three Union thrusts launched separately and sequentially against the Confederate left, centre and right.
The Battle of Chancellorsville represents Lees aggression at its most stunning. Although outnumbered two to one, he achieved victory, through dividing his army and encircling the enemy in one of the most audacious moves in military history.
Picketts charge on the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge on the third day of Gettysburg represents Lees greatest miscalculation. James Longstreet warned Lee: I have been in pretty much all kind of skirmishes, from those of two to three soldiers to those of an army corps, and I think I can safely say there was never a body of 15,000 men who could make that attack successfully. Lees blood was up and he thought audacity and courage would suffice.
Although Longstreets advice was disregarded, his appreciation of the impact of modern firepower proved correct. Less than half of the cream of the Army of North Virginia made it back to their own lines. Lee rode out to meet them: It was all my fault; get together and let us do the best we can toward saving that which is left us.
After Gettysburg (and the capture of Vicksburg on the Mississippi), the strategic initiative passed permanently to the North and the defeat of the South was inevitable, subject only to the important proviso the Unions will to fight held firm.
President Lincoln brought U S Grant east from his triumphs at Vicksburg and Chattanooga to confront Lee. Grant was stunned by the ferocity of Lees resistance but, unlike his predecessors, Grant refused to back off, waging a bloody war of attrition (including the Battles of Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor) which lasted exactly a year.
After Lees defensive lines broke under the weight of massive Union assaults in the spring of 1865 Lee could no longer defend Richmond, the Confederate capital. He embarked upon a week-long retreat. Incapable of going any further, his men fell out through hunger and exhaustion, animals collapsed and units disintegrated.
At Appomattox Court House on April 9 1865, Lee found himself almost surrounded and massively outnumbered. He told one of his aides: There is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant and I would rather die a thousand deaths.
Grants considerate behaviour, at least partially in deference to Lincolns wishes, made the ordeal of surrender less painful for him.
Remarkably throughout the war it would seem that Lee never referred to his Union opponents as the enemy but as those people. On this reading of the past, this extraordinary absence of bitterness and the mans own innate dignity enabled Lee to accept defeat and seek to bind up the wounds caused by the war by preaching to his people the necessity of peace and national unity.
This perspective is repudiated by those who insist that Lee was not conciliatory towards the North, that he championed southern grievances and that he was antagonistic towards the emancipated slaves.
Finally, if Lee was such a genius, why did the South lose? Explanations rarely focus on Lees inability to deliver victory but tend to major on the Norths demographic and economic advantages. Yet history provides examples of weaker powers defeating stronger ones. Lees greatest failure surely was that he never produced a war-winning strategy. He was curiously blind to the crucial importance of the Western theatre. Impressive though his victories were, they were achieved with Stonewall Jackson at his side. After Jacksons death (from friendly fire at Chancellorsville) there were no more victories. Apart from Grant, most of his Union opponents were fairly mediocre.
Is it too harsh to suggest that Lees iconic status owes more to the psychological needs of the post-war South than to his military genius?
See the article here:
Icon of the Civil War, but just how great a general was Robert E Lee? - Belfast Newsletter
- Leo Gura - The Collective Ego - January 15th, 2021
- News of the World Review: Quiet Ballad of the Lost and Found - The Wall Street Journal - December 22nd, 2020
- Star Trek: Every Hologram That Gained Sentience (& Their Fate) - Screen Rant - December 22nd, 2020
- Taking Charge Of Your Life: Could Your Questions Be The Answer? - Web Hosting | Cloud Computing | Datacenter | Domain News - Daily Host News - December 22nd, 2020
- Most Organizations Still Miss the Mark on Diversity & Inclusion - GlobeNewswire - December 22nd, 2020
- Has The Mandalorian Succumbed to the Dark Side? - Vulture - December 22nd, 2020
- Can Animals Recognize Their Own Reflection? : Short Wave - NPR - December 22nd, 2020
- Self-Delusion on the Russia Hack - The Dispatch - December 22nd, 2020
- Best albums of all time by Black artists - Grand Island Independent - December 22nd, 2020
- The SolarWinds Hack Is Just The Same Sort Of Espionage The US Government Engages In Every Day - Techdirt - December 22nd, 2020
- Geltzeiler: Knicks have 'least-talented' roster in the NBA - RADIO.COM - December 22nd, 2020
- 3 practices every strong leader should embrace to build trust with their employees - Business Insider - Business Insider - December 22nd, 2020
- From Community Cousin to Canada's Highest Court: Rebecca Olivia Watmough - Vancouver Island University News - December 22nd, 2020
- Business communication during the pandemic grew in three key areas - Financial Post - December 22nd, 2020
- Vaccine effective against the new strain of COVID-19, says UAE - Gulf Today - December 22nd, 2020
- Tower Of God: 10 Differences Between The Anime & The Manhwa, Season 1 - CBR - Comic Book Resources - December 22nd, 2020
- How do men who have sex with men develop resilience in response to HIV? - aidsmap - December 22nd, 2020
- If you say any of these 6 things during the job interview, don't expect to get an offer: Career expert - CNBC - December 16th, 2020
- Niemi: CASEL Is Updating the Most Widely Recognized Definition of Social-Emotional Learning. Here's Why - The 74 - December 16th, 2020
- OKC musician Chase Kerby's new band Hotel Nights' wintry video for 'Pains of the Weekenders' is a mood on an Oklahoma snow day - Oklahoman.com - December 16th, 2020
- Why Carat is putting emotional intelligence at the core of media buying - Campaign US - December 16th, 2020
- Give it some brainvita - The New Indian Express - December 16th, 2020
- Kyrie Irving is once again reminding us who he is, and the Nets need to take notice - CBS Sports - December 16th, 2020
- What Therapy for Narcissism Involves: Steps and What to Expect - Healthline - December 16th, 2020
- An open letter to Lions fans everywhere: I'm always on your side - The Pioneer - December 16th, 2020
- Using art to help kids tap into their creative side - Joplin Globe - December 16th, 2020
- What 2020 has taught us - The Daily Wildcat - Arizona Daily Wildcat - December 16th, 2020
- $15 million in funding to support health and medical research - University News: The University of Western Australia - December 16th, 2020
- Dean Spade: 'Mutual Aid Always Pops Up Where Disasters Are' - Progressive.org - December 16th, 2020
- I Never Thought I'd Say This, but Offset's Defense of Cardi B Was Absolutely Right - POPSUGAR - December 16th, 2020
- The Thing You Need To Know About Letting Go - Forbes - December 16th, 2020
- Cast headed by Meryl Streep makes Let Them All Talk a winner - Detroit Free Press - December 16th, 2020
- If You're Too Busy for These 3 Things, Your Leadership Skills May Need a Tune-Up - Inc. - December 16th, 2020
- Rick And Morty: 5 Ways It's Similar To Community (& 5 Things It Does Differently) - Screen Rant - December 16th, 2020
- Using Meditation to Achieve Mindfulness - Chicago Health - December 16th, 2020
- 7 skills you need to stand out at work - Yahoo Finance Australia - December 11th, 2020
- One Way to Stop Whitewashing: It's Got to Be Taught - American Theatre - December 11th, 2020
- Coach K not the first with concerns about basketball in a pandemic, but he's the loudest - Union Democrat - December 11th, 2020
- Pondering the Question 'Who Am I?' - Shepherd Express - December 11th, 2020
- Review: The Saved by the Bell reboot gave me an existential crisis - Vox.com - December 11th, 2020
- Overcoming workplace bias - The Miami Times - December 11th, 2020
- Manners are important to teach our children | Health | The Daily News - Galveston County Daily News - December 11th, 2020
- How to recognize and stop self-sabotage at work - Fast Company - December 11th, 2020
- 2021 Will Be The Year Of Mind Gyms, Tele-Therapy & The Rise Of Mental Fitness - mindbodygreen.com - December 11th, 2020
- Mank: A Writerly Life of Words, Alcohol and Inner Conflicts in 1930s Hollywood - The Wire - December 11th, 2020
- A Thinking Environment | theHRD - The HR Director Magazine - December 11th, 2020
- What to do when there's 'nothing' to do... - Boulder Weekly - December 11th, 2020
- Parenting through the pandemic - Fast Company - December 11th, 2020
- White clicktivism: why are some Americans woke online but not in real life? - The Guardian - December 11th, 2020
- The Bachelorette episode 9 recap: Just when you thought he was out, one guy (tries to) pull himself back in - Gold Derby - December 11th, 2020
- GTFOH Trump Watch: Hes Taking This Breakup Really Hard - The Root - December 11th, 2020
- This Is How to Make a Reboot in 2020 - The Ringer - December 11th, 2020
- We Weigh In: Is B&B's Liam Spencer The Worst Man On Daytime TV? - Fame10 - December 11th, 2020
- Making therapy accessible - Gainesville Sun - October 28th, 2020
- The 10 Best Ways To Make The Rest Of 2020 Suck Less - Forbes - October 28th, 2020
- Creative Arts Therapy Club Reaches Out to Campus - West Liberty University News & Media Relations - October 28th, 2020
- 'The Craft: Legacy' is the sparkly savior your Halloween needs: Review - Mashable - October 28th, 2020
- Following up with UO's progress on combating racism and systemic oppression - Oregon Daily Emerald - October 28th, 2020
- What it takes to become a collaborative leader - Chief Learning Officer - October 28th, 2020
- The Unspoken Social and Emotional Benefits of a College Education - The Apopka Voice - October 28th, 2020
- 6 soft skills you'll need for the post-Covid working world - Siliconrepublic.com - October 28th, 2020
- My parents gave my brothers and me $8 million in bonds, stocks and ETFs. Id like to use my profit to travel. My parents refuse - MarketWatch - October 28th, 2020
- 'They Look Like People' and the Horror of Schizophrenia [Unveiling The Mind] - Bloody Disgusting - October 28th, 2020
- My journey from being a young-earth Creationist, Dispensationalist Republican to seeing my neighbor as worthy of my vote - Baptist News Global - October 28th, 2020
- Cam Newton says he wont change the way he dresses - NBC Sports - NFL - October 28th, 2020
- Manhood on the ballot: Trump's self-absorbed bullying vs. Biden's compassion and humility - USA TODAY - October 28th, 2020
- Banyan Tree leads by example and rolls out three new staff mental health initiatives - Spa Business - October 28th, 2020
- It doesn't matter what month it is, the work to raise awareness on disabilities continues for this local school division - WYDaily - October 28th, 2020
- What's on TV: Friday, October 30 to Thursday, November 5 - Sydney Morning Herald - October 28th, 2020
- Effective Hybrid Team Leadership: The New Performance Factor For Successful Companies - Forbes - October 28th, 2020
- How masks are helping these Saskatoon residents beyond stopping COVID-19 - CTV Toronto - October 28th, 2020
- 3 Ways to restore Self-Worth in Your Kids after an Uncertain Year - Crosswalk.com - October 28th, 2020
- Breast oncologist breaks down myths, prevention and tell-tale signs - FOX40 - October 21st, 2020
- Why embracing diversity, equity and inclusion matters to financial advisor firms - CNBC - October 21st, 2020
- New Research Shows Why Crows Are So Intelligent and Even Self-AwareJust Like Us - Good News Network - October 21st, 2020
- How Leaders Can Learn To Be Humble And More Effective - Forbes - October 21st, 2020
- 5 Strategies You Can Use to Build an Emotionally Intelligent Team - Entrepreneur - October 21st, 2020
- How music therapy benefits the autistic brain - Big Think - October 21st, 2020
- UW studies investigate need for and impact of culturally aware mentorship training - University of Wisconsin-Madison - October 21st, 2020
- A guide to male height - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily - October 21st, 2020