Lee General RE Lee, CSA

[diane]

I don't think there was too much blundering except, perhaps, on the part of Harry Heth. Bumping into Buford was not a good way to start a day! Lee had been getting reports of various Union elements around him but didn't know, or have any real reason to believe, that the AoP would move itself any faster than it had in the past. Meade, however, got the lead out and they moved. Intentional or not, Meade surprised Lee - that wasn't easy.

 

[KeyserSoze]

Thanks for that perspective KS. I can see such a short foray to replenish and to relieve the strain on the Virginia folks. It's just that I so often see it postulated that Lee invaded for political reasons and those just don't seem to have been a very safe gamble to me. That's sort of going all in on a relatively low pair IMO. Seems to me he could have demoralized the Union just as much by fighting on his own turf and continually defeating or stalemating the northern armies. I really don't think the English were coming to the rescue, either, and that is often mentioned as a reason to invade too.

There is a book titled "Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Gettysburg Campaign" by Kent Masterson Brown that deals with this very subject.

 

[John Winn]

There is a book titled "Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Gettysburg Campaign" by Kent Masterson Brown that deals with this very subject.

Thank you again. I think I'll see if I can get a copy of that.

 

[Elennsar]

Sufficient to say, Lee wanted to win big. Lee was willing to gamble to win big. Lee failed to win big.

 

[firefly177]

I think the thread is working it way to a challenge when discussing campaigns and battles of this era, how do you determine who 'won'. A 4th grader posed that very question to me in a school program. I feel like a number of battles were not centered on the capture of a geographic objective. The losses sustained by a particular side doesn't seem to be a good gauge for victory. It seems battles had annihilation or rendering ineffective the enemy force as their objective. Maybe the capture of cities and their garrisons were clear cut examples of victories where as at Gettysburg neither side was routed or destroyed outright. Were Lee's objective to bring the war to the North and live off Northern farms for a while thwarted? Did he really have a chance to deliver that peace offer letter to Lincoln in person following a major defeat of the Army of the Potomac? Was the failure to seize Cemetery Hill on the first day Lee's fault? Too many open questions on "who won the battle"...

 

[hrobalabama]

Every side, especially the losing side, needs a hero. Lee is remembered not necessarily for his military acumen but his
character and nobility. I enclose a letter from R. E. Lee to my Great-Grandfather. He wrote Gen Lee after the war, sharing the loss of his son (my great uncle) as a POW at Camp Chase, Ohio and the hard times of reconstruction. My youngest great-uncle was named Lee Driesbach in his honor. He later became a well know physician in New Orleans, LA. Please notice the theme and gentleness of Lee's answer:"
to J. D. Driesbach, October 3, 1867
Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11021/22464

Date: 1867-10-03

Description:
Lee offers condolences to Mr. Driesbach on the loss of his "noble" son. He provides Driesbach's young son, Lee's namesake, with a photograph.

Original

Lexington VA: 3 Oct 1867

My dear Sir

I recd this mng your letter of the 28th ulto: & sympathize most sincerely in your misfortunes, & especially in the death for your noble son. When however we reflect upon the suffering of the living, & the peace & happiness of the righteous dead, we should be reconciled to the loss of friends & rejoice at their departure to a better world.

I thank you for the compliment paid me by giving my name to your little son, & hope that you will so educate him as that he will become a good, wise & useful man. I send him my photograph, the best I have, which I hope will serve to remind him sometimes of me-

With my kindest regards to all your family & best wishes for your welfare

I am very respy & truly

Your obtservt

R E Lee





Mr J. D. Driesnbach

 

[brass napoleon]

Every side, especially the losing side, needs a hero. Lee is remembered not necessarily for his military acumen but his
character and nobility. I enclose a letter from R. E. Lee to my Great-Grandfather. He wrote Gen Lee after the war, sharing the loss of his son (my great uncle) as a POW at Camp Chase, Ohio and the hard times of reconstruction. My youngest great-uncle was named Lee Driesbach in his honor. He later became a well know physician in New Orleans, LA. Please notice the theme and gentleness of Lee's answer:"
to J. D. Driesbach, October 3, 1867
Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11021/22464

Date: 1867-10-03

Description:
Lee offers condolences to Mr. Driesbach on the loss of his "noble" son. He provides Driesbach's young son, Lee's namesake, with a photograph.

Original

Lexington VA: 3 Oct 1867

My dear Sir

I recd this mng your letter of the 28th ulto: & sympathize most sincerely in your misfortunes, & especially in the death for your noble son. When however we reflect upon the suffering of the living, & the peace & happiness of the righteous dead, we should be reconciled to the loss of friends & rejoice at their departure to a better world.

I thank you for the compliment paid me by giving my name to your little son, & hope that you will so educate him as that he will become a good, wise & useful man. I send him my photograph, the best I have, which I hope will serve to remind him sometimes of me-

With my kindest regards to all your family & best wishes for your welfare

I am very respy & truly

Your obtservt

R E Lee





Mr J. D. Driesnbach

Interesting family history, hrobalabama. Thanks for sharing, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Drew]

I think the thread is working it way to a challenge when discussing campaigns and battles of this era, how do you determine who 'won'.

It's a good question and there's a whole thread going on that addreses it...

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/how-is-the-winner-determined.102801/

 

[BillO]

Every side, especially the losing side, needs a hero. Lee is remembered not necessarily for his military acumen but his
character and nobility. I enclose a letter from R. E. Lee to my Great-Grandfather. He wrote Gen Lee after the war, sharing the loss of his son (my great uncle) as a POW at Camp Chase, Ohio and the hard times of reconstruction. My youngest great-uncle was named Lee Driesbach in his honor. He later became a well know physician in New Orleans, LA. Please notice the theme and gentleness of Lee's answer:"
to J. D. Driesbach, October 3, 1867
Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11021/22464

Date: 1867-10-03

Description:
Lee offers condolences to Mr. Driesbach on the loss of his "noble" son. He provides Driesbach's young son, Lee's namesake, with a photograph.

Original

Lexington VA: 3 Oct 1867

My dear Sir

I recd this mng your letter of the 28th ulto: & sympathize most sincerely in your misfortunes, & especially in the death for your noble son. When however we reflect upon the suffering of the living, & the peace & happiness of the righteous dead, we should be reconciled to the loss of friends & rejoice at their departure to a better world.

I thank you for the compliment paid me by giving my name to your little son, & hope that you will so educate him as that he will become a good, wise & useful man. I send him my photograph, the best I have, which I hope will serve to remind him sometimes of me-

With my kindest regards to all your family & best wishes for your welfare

I am very respy & truly

Your obtservt

R E Lee





Mr J. D. Driesnbach

Regardless of your opinions of his abilities or your politics how can you not respect such a man.

 

[KeyserSoze]

People criticize Grant as being a butcher and wasting his men's lives but let me ask this. If the roles were reversed, and Lee was commanding the Army of the Potomac does anyone honestly think Lee would have hesitated to sacrifice whatever number of men was necessary to force his opponent to surrender? As Grant did?

 

[BillO]

People criticize Grant as being a butcher and wasting his men's lives but let me ask this. If the roles were reversed, and Lee was commanding the Army of the Potomac does anyone honestly think Lee would have hesitated to sacrifice whatever number of men was necessary to force his opponent to surrender? As Grant did?

No, but I think it would have only been asked of them once or twice not over and over for a year.

 

[KeyserSoze]

No, but I think it would have only been asked of them once or twice not over and over for a year.

So you think Lee would have followed the usual strategy of finding his opponent, fighting him, then withdrawing and allowing him to recover before fighting him again? That would merely have prolonged the war. It was Grant's strategy of finding Lee, latching on, and not letting go that kept Lee on the defensive in the last year of the war and let to his defeat. You don't think Lee could have figured that out if the roles were reversed?

 

[cash]

No, but I think it would have only been asked of them once or twice not over and over for a year.

"Gentlemen, I think that General Grant has managed his affairs remarkably well up to the present time." Robert E. Lee

 

[BillO]

So you think Lee would have followed the usual strategy of finding his opponent, fighting him, then withdrawing and allowing him to recover before fighting him again? That would merely have prolonged the war. It was Grant's strategy of finding Lee, latching on, and not letting go that kept Lee on the defensive in the last year of the war and let to his defeat. You don't think Lee could have figured that out if the roles were reversed?

Nope I think there would have been 1 or 2 sharp ugly fights and the AoP would have found themselves either stuck in the defenses around DC again or having to defend Boston. IMO Lee would have ended the thing quicker. Lee never did reconcile himself to lettting "those people" go after a fight but never could come up with a solution to his problems.

 

[firefly177]

"Gentlemen, I think that General Grant has managed his affairs remarkably well up to the present time." Robert E. Lee

I would be interested in the time frame of this quote.

 

[cash]

I would be interested in the time frame of this quote.

I believe it's around the time of Spotsylvania Court House.