Gen. Lee--Illnesses/ Death of a Nation

[larry_cockerham]

[quote=5fish]

Originally Posted by larry_cockerham

Growing up in the North Carolina mountains on the Virginia-Tennessee border, was told that General Lee fought the war.


WAIT!! Gen. Lee did not fight the civil war all by his lonesome with one arm tied behind his back. You're telling me my momma lied to me as a child.

All I know about you boys across those mountains was that you all got your butts kick by U.S. Grant.. You all folded like a bad poker hand. I remember about someone to marching to the sea, too. Where was your southern pride?

Actually much of our southern pride served with the US Army.

As for the AOT who should have stayed after Sherman in Atlanta, they were here in Tennessee freezing butt, rather than kicking it. They finally turned around and went after Sherman. Too little, too late. Ask anyone at Bentonville if the southern boys put up a fight. They'll tell you, especially the ones who were there.

[unionblue]

Larry,

Although the innings may be exciting, it's the final talley on the scoreboard that matters in the end.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

[larry_cockerham]

Originally Posted by unionblue

Larry,

Although the innings may be exciting, it's the final talley on the scoreboard that matters in the end.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

Neil, good morning. Both sides laid down arms in good faith and sincerity. A few even took oaths of allegiance. I can and do respect that. Let's hope the game was called for lack of a quorum.

[OpnDownfall]

For the purposes of this thread, can it be reasonably established that Lee did, in fact, fight his worst battle in his career? (not necessarily Campaign)
If Gettysburg, was where Lee's generalship was found most wanting, then the search for why this was so can be sought outside the normal explanations used in describing Lee's other battles, where his decision making was less than sterling.
Was Lee more wrong, more often in Pa. than any of his other battles?
As in any battle, many things go right and many things go wrong. Was Lee's responses to the vagaries of the battle at Gettysburg, outside the nominal parameters that have been established as representing Lee's Generalship at its best and/or as it being his avg. effort, compared to similar situtatios during the war?


P.S. Instead, of Lee needing Jackson to win his offensive battles or missing Stuart or Meade being a competent commander (all which I believe to be true), it Can be argued that, maybe, it was in the character of Meade and Grant. Whatever their other faults, both men were not afraid of Lee and 'because' of that, Lee could not defeat them.

[5fish]

What you bring up in your post is true Gen. Meade did not fear a fight with Gen. Lee; but he would not go out of his way to pick a fight either. It is one reason Gen. Lee avoided his doom in his retreat from Gettysburg.

On the other hand Gen. Grant always went out of the way to pick a fight.