8 Comments

Even at this late date, l am learning things about Robert E. Lee. I was taught that he was a gentleman and a brilliant general who loved his state. I was unaware of his cruelty, but his devotion to white supremacy is not surprising. The catalog of suffering that can be attributed to him makes him a candidate for war crimes.

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Sep 10, 2021Liked by TCinLA

When I applied for my first reporting job, the editor saw I was a history major and asked who I felt was the beat general of the Civil War. I replied “Grant,” and was told of Kee’s strategic and tactical brilliance.

I replied, “But Grant won.”

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TC, your article is timely and enlightening. Growing up in Tennessee, I was inculcated with stories of Southern heroes of the Civil War. Fortunately, when I began teaching in Nashville TN, then in Acworth, GA, and finally in Tustin, CA, I was gradually educated about the truth of white supremist attitudes that permeate throughout the south and even in California.

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Lee was also lucky in his foes. He came to prominence in his defense of Richmond from McClellan's landing in the Seven Days battle. Lee hurled repeated assaults against Union positions, all of which were either thrown back or gained little ground with heavy losses. As his army threw back attack after attack, McClellan's panic rose. The climactic battle was Malvern Hill, where the Confederates retrreated and McClellan threw in the towel. Much to the disgust of the junior officers who'd won the fight, he ordered a retreat and Lee's reputation was made.

Lee's two invasions of the North came a cropper. After the bloodiest day in American history at Antietam, McClellan had Lee pinned against a river, a terrible tactical position, and then lost interest in pressing his advantage. So Lee got away. Gettysburg was a close-run thing, but Lee made it less close with Pickett's Charge, a pointless assault against a strong position that Longstreet and Alexander pointed out couldn't even be hit with artillery. A huge bombardment (possibly the largest Confederate cannonade of the war) mostly landed hundreds of yards behind the Federal front lines.

Lee had his brilliant moments. Chancellorsville was neatly done, although again luck played a part when Lee's opposing general, Hooker, was knocked unconscious at a critical moment by a cannonball that knocked down a pillar he was leaning on. When he came to, he wasn't at his best, which wasn't great to begin with.

Once Grant took command, there was nothing left in Lee's bag of tricks.

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Thank you for this side of history that was never taught in any of my high school or college classes. I am learning so much from your posts!

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Thank you for the history lesson

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I was drafting a comment and scrolled up to check what you had written and the comment draft disappeared. Any way to recover?

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