Lee

[ironfoot]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dispelling_the_myth_of_robert_e_lee/2011/04/25/AFrXC1kE_story.html?nav=emailpage

[williamlayton]

Well, Lee has born the brunt of things he did not fight for.
He was a modern day Desert Fox--a man of his own honor, avoiding political influence.
Cohen fails to respect Lee for many things and blame him for all that the South was about.
I can't but help think that Lee never did consider the larger picture--a Major failing on his own part, perhaps he was really as naive as he appeared.
It was a different time and we may be doing Lee an injustice trying to put him into todays thinking. I believe that is the case.
Blessings

[missouri dave]

The author of that knows almost as much about Lee as I know about the back end of the moon. Lee's greatest flaw as I see it is he came to believe his army really could do anything. Sadly, at gettysburg he was proved wrong.

[williamlayton]

That is the sword that many Generals have fallen on.
Blessings

[Ga.windbreak]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dispelling_the_myth_of_robert_e_lee/2011/04/25/AFrXC1kE_story.html?nav=emailpage

As I stated in your other post concerning your washington post link ..... they are doing no justice to the real history of 150 years ago. Sadly the youth of today will be lead by such poop!
 
This opinioned piece can't even get a Book review right, having read the quoted book, he does it's author more injustice than he does Lee IMVHO.

[Dee]

I think that had Lee realized that Lincoln would never come to his senses, he would have entered D.C. when he had the chance, and won the war fairly quickly.
Lee, in my opinion was fighting a DEFENSIVE WAR, protecting his homeland, and the rest of the South. His tactics and abilities were proven over, and over. But one can only sustain for so long in that mode, and Lincoln was not the man that Lee hoped he was.
Lee commanded with honor, while his adversary commanded FOR PROFIT AND PILLAGE.

[subdjoe]

Why does Ironfoot keep posting opinion pieces as if they are actual research and history?

[Swampman]

Lee's heartattack at Gettysburg and the fact that he wouldn't listen to Longstreet cost us greatly.  Lee was man of honor something almost noone understands these day.  The facts are the South never had a prayer from the begining.  The North outmanned us 10:1.  That's the reason they won.

[subdjoe]

Lee's heartattack at Gettysburg and the fact that he wouldn't listen to Longstreet cost us greatly.  Lee was man of honor something almost noone understands these day.  The facts are the South never had a prayer from the begining.  The North outmanned us 10:1.  That's the reason they won.

Actually, there were a few chances.  Or at least one.  If, at First Manassas, the CSA had followed the federal Great Skedaddle and pushed into Washington City, they likely could have ended it then and there.  Likewise after some of the other early victories.  But, since the CSA wanted to just LEAVE and not be conquerors, they didn't invade. 

Like as not, VA, NC, TN, and AR would have almost instantly rejoined the Union and the seven states of the deep south would have gone their own way.

And, after a cooling off period and some negotiations about the tariffs to protect and subsidize northern industry,  the deep south states would have rejoined the union.   

[BIGDAVE54]

 I watched a video this past week about Lee. Lee's father was a decorated soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a wreckless warrior that commanded great respect for his conduct on the battle  field. He was a cadd off the field. He wrote George Washigton a bad check. He ended up in debtors prison.
   Lee graduated 2nd in his class at West Point. A fella named Charles Mason graduated first. I could not find  any info about Mason after he left school.
   Lee did own slaves and he was cruel towards them. He had a constable brought to his house and ordered him to lay into the woman    Lee thought the slaves were dishonest and when he was whipping her. Lee still was unsatisfied to a point that he got down off his horse and beat the woman unconscious. Lee thought slaves had a duty to work for him and was furious when the slaves  working for him did not appreciate their life as slaves. He thought God almighty had given them their lot in life as slaves and felt it was sacraligious to drag their feet when they were tired.
   Lee wasn't just cruel to his slaves he was mean toward his wife.When she was delivering one of their children and having a very hard time of it she sent for Lee to stop by if he could. He sent her a note saying Damnit woman I have an army to lead...just hunker down and act like a grown up..(If you get a chance you might wan't to watch the documentary about Lee that was done up by National Geografic.)

[Swampman]

You're not talking about Rober E. Lee.

[NickSS]

Lee was a great general and probably one of the best this country ever produced but he did have some quirks.  One was that at times his aggressive thought pattern got the better of him.  He fought the peninsula campaign, and second Manassess offensively and won the battles but he suffered higher percentage of casualties than the North did.  He then invaded Maryland and by a quirk of fate the North got a copy of his orders to his troops. His troops fought a defensive battle at South Mountain and with drew to Sharpsburg.  He sent orders to Jackson to join him ASAP and waited for the North to attack him.  This in my opinion was a mistake.  He could have gotten across the Patomic before McClellan got to Sharpsburg and Jackson could have also gone across the river along with the prisoners and booty from Harper's Ferry and avoided a battle fought at a huge disadvantage.  Instead Lee accepted battle and if it were not for the fact that McClellan did not co=ordinate his attacks well and did not engage half his army that waited in reserve Lee would have not only lost the battle but very likely his whole army.  The fact that Lee did not loose his army was the fault of McClellan and not because of any virtue of Lee's.  As it was Lee lost 1/3 of his army in that battle.  Then came Fredricsburg which Lee fought totally on the defensive and won a  huge Victory and very minimal cost. 
Next came Chancellorsville which Lee and Jackson won but at huge cost and only because Hooker lost his nerve and retreated instead of counter attacking like Grant did at Shiloh.  Lee's Army won the battle but suffered more hurt that the north did in the winning.  Had Lee fought more defensively he may have won and not suffered so many casualties but I must admit Lee was at his very best in this battle.
Next came the Gettysburg Campain.  Lee had 2/3rds of his army under new Corp commanders and they were new to the work but Lee too no precautions to oversee them more closely. As a result these two corp commanders did not perform like Jackson would have with the same orders and it hurt the Souths chance at winning the battle.  Also Lee did not pay any attention to his most experienced Corp commander when he recommended on the evening of the first day and all morning on the second that lee should go around the Federal right flank and make them attack the south on ground of their own choosing. Lee ignored that advice and ordered frontal attacks on well dug in Northern positions.  The result was little or no gain and lots of southern casualties that the south could ill afford.  These casualties were so bad and so irreplaceable that it constrained Lee's options in battle for the rest of the war.
Lee also did not have a good grasp of Grand Strategy for the entire country.  His thinking was always Virginia and what he could do for it not what was best for the Country as a whole.  If you review his correspondence during the war this comes out really clear.  This is not a big deal considering he command area but he on several occasions refused troop loans that may have had a good affect on the war in the rest of the country.  For instance instead of lending troops to try to releave the siege of Vickburg he advocated his Gettysburg campaign.  The result was the fal of Vickburg and the loss at Gettysburg.  A double loose that the south never recovered from.
So Lee was a good general but not one without fault like his legend leads one to believe.

[williamlayton]

Offensive campaigns will always produce more casualties than defensive.
The general rule of thumb is a need to have at least a 3:1 advantage to be successful. The south could only do that in limited engagements.
Blessings