I watched the massively entertaining Burns documentary on the ACW (for the third time) and without doubt my favourite contributor was Shelby Foote. For years I have hung on his description of Abraham Lincoln and Nathan B Forrest as both deserving the accolade of "genius". With the rider that "we are a young country...". But on reflection Forrest as a racist braggart (thirty kills? who counts dead men...apparent from psychopaths or fantasists?). In Europe, even the most decorated soldier (I exclude the fantasists of Special Forces or snipers) will not claim a "kill" except on a one-to-one fight, a life-or-death experience. Lincoln saved lives, Forrest...
The more I read of ACW history the less I feel the term "genius" is applicable. The opponents in many cases knew each other very well, were fighting over familiar continental territory in many cases (No cultural. climactical battles in India, Burma, Indo-China, China, South Africa, Algeria.....etc). Observers yes, with an engagement against Pirates in North Africa, Mexicans or native Americans not withstanding, but without any evidence of the assimilation of application or innovation. Weapons became better without the input of the ACW armies who largely appropriated them without consideration their practical use. Stonewall Jackson and Grant seem to agree running at the enemy screaming while being shot to pieces is an idea/good idea/ plan/ good plan/ strategy...
The fact that Jackson was shot by his own men may have lengthened the war....he would have charged like a loon for several months afterward until...devoid of limbs like a Monty Python Knight fallen from his horse. To the relief of his ragged army. Grant evidently had the plan than hitting someone on the head will eventually produce brain damage - Golly it's brilliant! God only knows what thinking was behind Lee's tactical plan to beat a Federal Army on just patriotism and making a loud noise. After all courage, which they had in abundance, and ignorance....which they had...combined with the ability to shoot a defenceless rodent... The aristocrats of the CSA seem to assume these were skills for the battlefield. The sad thing for the length of the war was that they worked. For a while.
Uniforms were largely those of French design, weapons were those used by European Armies and appropriated without any real imagination. Genius requires original thought and American Generals had to wait until 1943 to see that, and even then casualty figures among G.Is show some callous political judgements. If Montgomery had killed as many people as Clark, Patton, "Lightning Joe" Collins and the rest then he would have be arranging paperclips in Whitehall... thank God for FDR and Churchill as heads of state....and Hitler being a nutcase.....
Discuss