Face Off: Which was Lee's finest Victory?

[5fish]

Face Off Time:

Which one of Lee's many victories was his finest one?

"The Seven Days Battles": Where Lee takes command and drives the union forces back from the gates of Richmond with skill and daring.

"2nd Manassas": Where Lee baits Pope into a trap with Jackson then smashes Longstreet into his flank routing the union forces.

"Sharpsburg": One can not become great without luck.

"Fredericksburg": Where Lee hold his cards close and sets up a shooting gallery.

"Chancellorsville": Lee's audacious move by slitting his army before a superior foe to flank his foe for victory.

"Wilderness": Where Lee uses the terrain to his advantage bring him victory.

"Other": There is always the rogue choice...

Lee fought many battles and many have become historic but which one was his finest victory. He won many battles using different strategies but which one do you admire the most. Cast your vote and leave us a commit or two..

 

[OpnDownfall]

Which was Lee's Finest victory?

2d Manassass, without a doubt. However, it is also, true that that to have a Cannae you have to have a Varro.

 

[Baggage Handler #2]

After the war, when he deliberately marched out of time.
I hold tremendous respect him for this.

 

[5fish]

Bait

I just want to make a note that I got my A chewed over the Battle of Sharpsburg and no one has pick it yet. I think there some apologies in order...

My favorite battle is Wilderness but I do not know if its Lee's finest hour but I am favoring 2nd Manassas. It was a classic bait and smash move almost like crossing the T in navel warfare.

Time to ponder...

 

[ole]

Poor baby. I can't tell you how many times Trice and Cash and Unionblue have spanked my bare bottom. It goes with the territory.

ole

 

[5fish]

Push>>

Chancellorsville is one of Lee's audacious moments but there are two questions that come to mind. The first is if Jackson had lived but I think the big one is if Longstreet had been there with his Corps.

With Longstreets men would Lee have had enough men to push the AoP into the river or would have escape as it did in histroy.

 

[Elennsar]

Assuming tactically nothing was changed, just that Lee had an extra 15,000 odd men?

I think the AotP would still have escaped. It was too tough to crack.

What would be truly terrible...and a not a little sadistic on Hooker's part.

Send the to-be-mustered-out-soon troops to face Longstreet's. Their losses (so far as the army's strength) are irrelevant. So if they get bled white stopping Old Pete, its a good trade.

Of course no general in the Civil War would even think fo doing that. But the thought did come to mind...blame it on my mental abnormalities.

 

[trice]

Assuming tactically nothing was changed, just that Lee had an extra 15,000 odd men?

I think the AotP would still have escaped. It was too tough to crack.

What would be truly terrible...and a not a little sadistic on Hooker's part.

Send the to-be-mustered-out-soon troops to face Longstreet's. Their losses (so far as the army's strength) are irrelevant. So if they get bled white stopping Old Pete, its a good trade.

Of course no general in the Civil War would even think fo doing that. But the thought did come to mind...blame it on my mental abnormalities.

Assuming Longstreet was there, I think he would have had to be arriving after the action started. He wouldn't have arrived all at once, so let's assume he came in via train a brigade at a time, arriving just about when Sedgwick was driving Early off Marye's Heights.

This would allow Lee to give Longstreet command on that front while he stayed to the west to concentrate on handling Hooker. With Longstreet in command and more troops available, Sedgewick might get truly crushed when Lee turned on him.

Tim

 

[timewalker]

While Second Manassas was Lee's most brilliant and audacious victory, showing his tactical skills at their best (with Chancellorsville a close second), I have to vote for the Seven Days. While it cannot be classified as a brilliant performance by Lee per se, it had the most lasting and far-reaching consequences of any of his victories. It saved Richmond and prolonged the war by at least two years. Lee read his opponent, McClellan, perfectly and played his armies strengths off perfectly against McClellan's weaknesses.

 

[ole]

Lee read his opponent, McClellan perfectly and played his armies strengths off perfectly against McClellan's weaknesses.

Yup. Here is where the Lee legend starts. He got Mac's number early, threw in some head feints and drove in for a lay-up. This is not to say that Mac was a total dolt, just that Lee's star got really bright there. Amazing generalship!

ole

 

[gary]

I voted for Second Manassas. Lee outmanuevered Pope and caught him with a surprise flank attack.

 

[TheGallantPelham17]

Since Sharpsburg didn't have any votes prior to my logging in and discovering this survey, that's where I cast my vote. I'm not sure, however, if Sharpsburg was a great victory per se, but the CSA did manage to salvage a little success when A.P. Hill's troops came to the rescue at the bitter end. Sharpsburg was no doubt a bloody mess with a sickening casualty count and that's what most will remember about this battle.

Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg were two butt-kickings, but Chancellorsville naturally wasn't a celebrated victory like it could have been because of the tragic wounding of General Jackson. John Pelham earned his nickname the "Gallant" Pelham from Lee due to Pelham's audaciousness at F'burg. When a young, greenhorn kid from Calhoun County, Alabama, almost by himself whipped the Union army that day, then it's easy to see why most historians refer to F'burg as Lee's easiest victory of the entire War.

 

[RoadDog]

Got Lost at Chancellorsville

I don't know how Jackson's men did that flank march. We tried driving it many years ago and got really lost.

 

[gettysburgerrn]

I went with second manassas. Devastating and audacious. I know Pope made it possible but without Burnside no Fredricksburg and what about Chancellorsville without Joe hooker ( a real good plan,I think, but then he froze as if amazed by his success)
ken

PS thanks OLe for telling me about this site...

 

[Blockaderunner]

I don't know how Jackson's men did that flank march. We tried driving it many years ago and got really lost.

Its a lot easier if you drive the route RD. Just follow the Jackson Flank March markers. Having said that, I did take a wrong turn and drove 2 miles before I did a U turn and picked up the trail again. I wouldn't be surprised if you got lost at the same road junction. I think some battlefield roads and hiking trails were marked out many years ago. At Wilderness, I walked the Gordon flank attack trail. After a mile or so, the trail reached a road. The rough map at the battlefield shelter showed that I crossed the road and picked up the trail on the other side. But on the other side of the road was housing and no trail. I may have missed it, but I suspect it doesn't actually exist any more. I asked about it at Chancellorsville Visitor Centre and the two rangers admitted they had never actually walked the trail.

 

[5fish]

It looks as if the board agrees with Bob Krick that Chancellorsville was Lee's finest moment...

It was a great achievement but greatest only in sending the AoP across the river not in ending their stay in central Virginia. Unlike 2nd Manassa where Lee cleared them union boys out of Northern Virginia for a while...

What did the victory achieve should be the yardstick one uses to rate a victory..right???

 

[Baggage Handler #2]

I generally figure Chancellorsville to be Jackson's.
from son of the south . net

3.30 a.m. "... I spread the map, showed them the road I had ascertained, and indicated, so far as I knew it, the position of the Federal army. General Lee then said, 'General Jackson, what do you propose to do?' He replied, 'Go around here,' moving his finger over the road which I had located upon the map. General Lee said, 'What do you propose to make this movement with?' 'With my whole corps,'

 

[Blockaderunner]

I generally figure Chancellorsville to be Jackson's.
from son of the south . net

Good point. I voted for Chancellorsville, but I agree, the victory was due to Jackson.

 

[Easy30]

I think the popular, "sexy", pick is Chancellorsville which I think is due to the manuever and Jackson's flanking. It makes the best story, but in reality it is Jackson's finest hour and not Lee's. My vote is Seven Days. If you look at the condition of the Confederate Army around Richmond at the time Johnston was out and Lee came in it is incredible Lee was able to do what he did. The reorganizing of the army on top of the risks Lee took with Richmond right behind him was remarkable IMO. You also have to look at the momentum McClellan had advancing up the Peninsula and compare it to the huge blunders of Hooker at Chancellorsville. McClellan may have made some mistakes on the peninsula, but nothing compared to Hooker. I see 2nd Manassas as an extension to the Peninsula and Seven Days. Lee was just banking on momentum, but it is a close second to Lee's great victories, IMO.

 

[OpnDownfall]

Face Off: Which was Lee's finest Victory?

It just seems to me, that a set piece battle against a commander not willing to fight is not as good a measure of victory as a mobile campaign against a commander, not afraid to fight.