How good a General was Robert E Lee, especially when you compare him to other black powder era generals like George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, or Arthur Wellesley?
I know he’s a legend of the Civil War. But how good was he as a battlefield commander? For that matter, how good was Washington? He seems to have lost most of his battles yet still won the war.
Pretty good at first, less good later on.
He also had a murderers row of motherfuckers under him like stonewall jackson and nathan bedford forrest.
Not as good as he is portrayed. He played a big part in writing his own legend after the war.
All I remember is that he drove a cool car!
I don’t think anyone regards Washington as a great general. Great man yes but not a great general.
interesting topic. In for schooling.
banco - I don't think anyone regards Washington as a great general. Great man yes but not a great general.
Yes or no, generally speaking he was great?
Canooke -banco - I don't think anyone regards Washington as a great general. Great man yes but not a great general.Yes or no, generally speaking he was great?
I already said he was a great man. You should work on your reading comprehension.
Lee graduated first in his class at West Point.
banco -Canooke -banco - I don't think anyone regards Washington as a great general. Great man yes but not a great general.Yes or no, generally speaking he was great?
I already said he was a great man. You should work on your reading comprehension.
It was a play on words banco. GENERALLY. He was a general so “generally speaking” can also be taken to mean “how great was he as a general?”
You said he was a great man, but not a great general. So, I asked you a question…nevermind.
Jed - Lee graduated first in his class at West Point.
Yeah, but someone does that every year.
Lee had no real strategy except to try to deny the US Army Northern Virginia and practically ignored the rest of the Confederacy, even when his decisions led to Virginia becoming more and more logistically isolated. His offensives were absolute disasters. On a tactical level he was extremely reliant of Stonewall Jackson, whose orders basically came down to “do something in the way you want to do it if you think you can do it, if not then do something else.” When Jackson died, Lee had trouble breaking that habit with less competent subordinates and paid the price.
A lot of his early success came down to his opponents being substandard political appointees, while the better Generals in the US army were fighting in the less prestigious western front.
anthonyMI -Jed - Lee graduated first in his class at West Point.Yeah, but someone does that every year.
Lee had no real strategy except to try to deny the US Army Northern Virginia and practically ignored the rest of the Confederacy, even when his decisions led to Virginia becoming more and more logistically isolated. His offensives were absolute disasters. On a tactical level he was extremely reliant of Stonewall Jackson, whose orders basically came down to “do something in the way you want to do it if you think you can do it, if not then do something else.” When Jackson died, Lee had trouble breaking that habit with less competent subordinates and paid the price.
A lot of his early success came down to his opponents being substandard political appointees, while the better Generals in the US army were fighting in the less prestigious western front.
Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, Jeb Stuart are what made Lee into Lee. They were stars. He also had AP Hill, Jubal Early, and some other stand outs under his corp commanders.
He lost Gettysburg miserably without Stonewall, dispite Longstreet telling him he was doomed if he proceeded with his plan.
He did crush with his battle plan at Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Second Manassas, and the Wilderness. He stalemated at Anteitam, lost Gettysburg, though. Those are 2 of the 5 biggest battles of the war.
I think he was great, but he was the sum total of his Generals underneath him.
He was a hero of the Texas - Mexican war, very few people know or understand how important he was to that
The South had the superior generals and cavalry, its not even close. T^he north won simply because of industrial superiority. Man for man, heart for heart, the yankees were no match.
Run it back and see.
Not good enough, apparently.
RenatoCocopreta - The South had the superior generals and cavalry, its not even close. T^he north won simply because of industrial superiority. Man for man, heart for heart, the yankees were no match.Run it back and see.
Wars are won by the side that can get their soldiers food and shoes. A soldier with food and shoes is a better soldier. No amount of Lost Cause wankery over “southern gallantry” will change that.
Even the part about having better generals only holds true if you are looking exclusively at the early period of the Eastern Theater. Grant and Sherman were as good, if not better, as the best the Confederates had to offer.
IronHands -Not good enough, apparently.
The south literally ran out of bullets.
anthonyMI -RenatoCocopreta - The South had the superior generals and cavalry, its not even close. T^he north won simply because of industrial superiority. Man for man, heart for heart, the yankees were no match.Run it back and see.
Wars are won by the side that can get their soldiers food and shoes. A soldier with food and shoes is a better soldier. No amount of Lost Cause wankery over “southern gallantry” will change that.
Even the part about having better generals only holds true if you are looking exclusively at the early period of the Eastern Theater. Grant and Sherman were as good, if not better, as the best the Confederates had to offer.
Wankery? Are you a fucking red coat?
RenatoCocopreta -IronHands -Not good enough, apparently.
The south literally ran out of bullets.
Preserving a cash-crop based slave economy was the entire reason for the war. You can’t bitch about being unable to grow food and make stuff if the end goal is to continue being unable to grow food and make stuff.
Overrated. Johnston, Pemberton, and Bragg did more with less against much better opponents in the Western theater. I put Lee in the same category as PGT, got a lot of credit for what his subordinates accomplished.