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"The truth is, Lee virtually fought to the last Confederate soldier in his command."
Sir, I believe that was the deal Lee had made with himself and the people of the South. He could do no less. That's why the people of Virginia honored him with a big statue just down the street from Arthur Ashe.
Sir, I believe that was the deal Lee had made with himself and the people of the South. He could do no less. That's why the people of Virginia honored him with a big statue just down the street from Arthur Ashe.
Larry, you crack me up sometimes!
John W.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
In my research of the last few years, it seemed that R.E. Lee was oblivious to the fact the war was lost, long before he surrendered.
Many of his soldiers were killed, maimed, wounded, long after the war was strategically lost. Lee could not fathom why many of his soldiers were really deserting, in the last months of the war.
It shouldn't have taken an honored West Point graduate, a soldier of long experience, a general who saw the deterioration of the Petersburg-Richmond defenses, to know that the war was over.
The retreat from Petersburg should never have happened. At this point, the Army of Northern Virginia was logistically unsupplyable as a fighting army.
The truth is, Lee virtually fought to the last Confederate soldier in his command.
At Appomattox, Lee had no army worth the name.
Grant had a montrous headache. He wanted to end the struggle in a war that no longer had any meaning. The Army of Northern Virginia was fought out long before the surrender at Appomattox.
First off by the time of 2nd Cold Harbor in June, 1864, Lee already knew it would just be a matter of time. He sent a letter to his wife, Mary in Richmond telling her to get out of the city.
"Many of his soldiers were killed, maimed, and wounded" I noticed you did'nt say much about Grant's army losing DOUBLE what Lee had lost. Cold Harbor was the most lopsided victory the South ever had. Even when Grant knew Lee's army was dug in, he rashly attacked. Then Grant not wanting to admit he had lost, refused a truce so thousands of his men stuck between both lines for days died. Grant lost more men in three months of fighting then Lee had in his entire army.
As many men did desert during the Petersburg trenches, many more stayed to fight. Lee was not going to surrender his army after the fall of Richmond.
Lee did not "fight to the last man". Even at Appomattox, the Confederates were still full of fight. Confederate BG. Cox lead the last charge for the ANV. Had it not been for the Union Cav in his rear Lee was going straight for Lynchburg and a link with Johnston's army. It was a long shot, but Lee and his 26,000 die hard Confederates fought bravely to the end.
Of all people, Lee did not want a guerrilla style fight. Ironically George Washington's defeat of the British was fought many times by guerrilla tactics. Lee certainly saved many Union soldiers lives by not going with guerrilla tactics as many of his men wanted to do. Being so deep into Virginia it would have turned into a Mosby style fighting but with alot more men.
Jefferson Davis even after the fall of Richmond wanted the war to continue, he did not know the condition of Johnston's army. Johnston did know his army and surrendered.
It would have been a nasty war if guerrilla tactics were applied.
I'm afraid a guerrilla effort would have infact been a long shot. The land was famished and devastated. Horses, food, ammo all getting very scarce, not to mention a bunch of bunyons on many a Confederate foot. The AOT was alive, but just barely. They could have caused a ruckus, but little more.
Lee had the good sense to know that a guerilla war would do nothing but deepen the destruction and the impoverishment of the Confederacy. By the end of the war, the temper of the Union soldier and officer was such that the death of a soldier by guerilla action would likely have brought wholesale destruction down on the entire area.
Someone would have to quit first. A good case can be made for the Union soldier going home first -- after all, the war was over. Conversely, an equally good case can be made for the anger of the Union soldier when the whipped party takes to the woods and keeps shooting. Remember, in those days, it was not unusual to shoot an enemy and then kill him to reduce the number of those who would be seeking vengeance.
The south had suffered enough with warring groups of partisans. Extending that warfare could have resulted only in more grief.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
Ole, thank you for trashing my decision to go back and edit the last of my posts from my original thought of spelling guerilla to the guerrilla that looked better on the next post. (I'll be curious to see if you can decipher that sentence.) Apparently you and I are on the same wave length; that could be a problem). My yellowed Harcourt, Brace & World goes first with the two r's then straddles the fence and accepts the other one. Ain't life wonderful!
My ancient Webster's New Collegiate has two r's. My bad. Guerrilla war makes for good novels and Robin Hood and never-say-die nobility. They never talk about the cost that must necessarily be borne by the citizens in whose territory such a war is fought. It's bad enough to have an army living off the country for four years; having bands of guerrillas roaming around simply adds more misery and poverty.
We at least have the same book and, occasionally, the same page.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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