Gen. Lee's -- "If Practical" Orders

[5fish]

The words practicable and practical are two different words.
Practicable=means able to be done

Practical=means opposed to theoretical.

These are brief meanings not detail meanings of the words.

[larry_cockerham]

I've seen both terms used for years by many folks though the term practiceable sounds as if it may have had more to do with the physical evaluation of an action rather than an attempt to discern how prudent the action might be. At any rate, the good Gen. Lee seems (obviously did) to have had a "qualifier" in his orders, sugggesting that there was some leeway of action if a subordinate general had the nerve?

[samgrant]

And in the circumstances could interperet them as suggestions as opposed to orders.

[ole]

Exactly, Sam. "If practicable" simply means that, "I want that hill. I want you to take it if you can." Ewell had the option to say "I can't." And he may very well have been right.

It seems that "that hill," if taken, may very well have been impossible to stay taken. I can't fault Ewell for his on-the-spot judgement.

We can speculate that a Jackson would have taken it. We can also wonder if he could have kept it. There was, after all, a division of infantry busily digging itself in. And, I forget, how many batteries pushing and shoving for space.

Ewell's OR report is hindsight, but it does contain some crucial factors. One is in that he couldn't very well form up in town. That his troops were tired and that he lacked a division are convenient excuses. Jackson would have ignored all that. But Jackson hisself could not have organized an attack with troops that could'nt be arranged into an attack formation at the foot of that hill.

[larry_cockerham]

Sounds as if Forrest could have helped. (JEB Stuart was probably lost at the time?)