- Joined
- Feb 20, 2005
- Location
- South of the North 40
Putting the blame for the loss of Gettysburg is just plain foolish. People act as though Stuart had all the cav of the ANV w/ him... he did not. IIRC Lee had something like 2 Brigades w/ him. If you cannot use two brigades of cav to good effect to screen an army you have no business commanding one. Stuart was given orders that as far as I can tell he carried out to the best of his ability.
IMO Stuart was a bit of a showboat who maybe took to believing his own press a bit too much. That said he was still a superb Cav commander who gave his all and in the end gave his life for a cause he believed in. The man had the courage of his convictions. The oft seen charge that he lost Lee Gettysburg seems over hyped with little bassis in reality. A clear attempt to shield the marble man from any failure of any kind.
Lee was a general of his times, he made mistakes, he put on his trousers one leg at a time; in short the man was human with a host of folies in his life. He was no Wellington or Napoleon.
IMO Stuart was a bit of a showboat who maybe took to believing his own press a bit too much. That said he was still a superb Cav commander who gave his all and in the end gave his life for a cause he believed in. The man had the courage of his convictions. The oft seen charge that he lost Lee Gettysburg seems over hyped with little bassis in reality. A clear attempt to shield the marble man from any failure of any kind.
Lee was a general of his times, he made mistakes, he put on his trousers one leg at a time; in short the man was human with a host of folies in his life. He was no Wellington or Napoleon.