Archive for the ‘reference’ tag
General Lee
what was strategic thinking of the union general Grant and the confederate general Lee?
What where there major goals in these stratagies?
~Essentially, Grant led three campaigns against Lee and he won them all. His strategy was pretty much the same as the orders he gave Sherman regarding the March to the Sea. “Attack.”
Grant took over as General-in-Chief of Federal forces on March 12, 1864. He crossed the Rapidan into Virginia on May 4. George Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac under Grant’s direction. Grant’s objective was to pursue and engage Lee at every opportunity. His orders to Meade were simple: “Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also.” Grant gave up on the prior Union strategy of trying to take Richmond. Instead, he decided to win the war.
In the Overland (or Wilderness) Campaign, many of the twelve battles were inconclusive: tactical victories for Lee, strategic victories for Grant. The Union objective was to push the Army of North Virgina south away from Washington, and to engage. It was now a war of attrition. Jefferson Davis acknowledge from the time of his inauguration that the South could not win such a war. He knew it, Lee knew it, Bragg knew it, Stuart knew it, Longstreet knew it, Lincoln knew it. Lincoln had only to find a general on his side that knew it too. Vicksburg found him his man in the form of US Grant. Lincoln was no fool and he gave Grant command and turned him loose.
About half way through the six week Wilderness Campaign, the battle of North Anna was fought. Although the results of the battle were pretty much inconclusive, Grant said for the first time that Lee had lost the war. It didn’t matter if Grant won or lost a particular battle. Every time the armies engaged, whether or not Lee took or held the objective, Grant won. If he suffered a setback in the field, he just reloaded and went at it again. This was a new breed of foe for the Confederates, who were used to the likes of McClellan and Meade and Fremont. Grant had more reserves, and a vast pool of potential conscripts from which to draw more. Grant had the industrial might of the North behind him. Grant could feed, clothe and arm his forces. Most of all, he had the determination and guts to end the war. The Confederacy had pretty much exhausted it’s meager resources and what they had left, Grant was bleeding off or his subordinates in the South and West, notably Sherman, were burning and killing. It was no contest.
The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was more or less a sequel to the the Overland campaign. Grant continued to pursue Lee across eastern Virginia, doing battle at every opportunity and inflicting severe punishment on his Army. Like a bulldog on steroids, Grant would simply not let up. Lee won a few battles of significance, such as Petersburg I and Petersburg II. and he finally holed up in Petersburg. Grant ‘laid siege’ to Petersburg for the next ten months. It was not a siege in the traditional sense and a series of nineteen battles were contested in the Petersburg/Richmond area over that 10 months. Lee “won” several of the battles, maybe as many as 60% of them, and he emerged ever weaker each time he fought. His “victories” were costing him his army, just as Grant intended. Petersburg was more like the trench warfare of WWI than anything, and it certainly did not resemble the Civil war battles that preceded it. Is it possible that finally, after 3 1/2 years of fighting, both sides had figured out that 18th century tactics just did not work against 19th century weaponry? Too late we get smart. A lot of good boys and men died on both sides before that message sunk in.
Grant had his ace in the hole, namely William T. Sherman. Sherman succeeded Grant as Commander of the Western Theater. He was of like mind with Grant, and Grant’s order to attack, pursue and attack again was easy for him to follow. Sherman’s scorched earth policy pushed the western theater all the way from the Mississippi to the Atlantic beaches of Georgia then north through the Carolinas. While Lee was trapped in Petersburg, Sherman was approaching. Lee knew Sherman’s arrival was Lee’s doom. Lee tried to break Grant’s lines and lost more than half his force in the effort. Meanwhile, Grant’s army had also been holding Richmond under siege at the same time. Lee abandoned both cities and tried to link up with the remnants of the Confederate armies who were retreating from Sherman’s onslaught.
The Appomattox campaign was the anti-climactic finale. Grant chased Lee from Richmond/Petersburg. Fourteen battles over the next two weeks, some minor, some major, were contested in Grant’s relentless pursuit of Lee’s Army of North Virginia. The Federals won eleven of those battles, one was inconclusive. The last, at Appomattox Courthouse, culminated in Lee’s surrender on April 9. The war was over in Virginia. Jefferson Davis would be captured in Georgia less than a month later, bringing the war to a close. Lincoln never saw the end of the war. Five days after Lee’s surrender, Lincoln went to see “Our American Cousin”. Joe Johnston surrendered to Sherman on April 18, and through May, the remaining Confederate armies threw in the towel.
Grant suffered some tactical losses and some significant ones along the way, but he gave better than he got Each of his campaigns during his 13 months at the helm of the Federal forces was a resounding strategic success.
Lee’s strategy was equally basic. He simply wanted to hold on and fight defensive battles while anti-war sentiment, draft riots and desertion depleted Federal ranks and forced peace. He knew he couldn’t win the war, but he hoped he could win the peace. Then Sherman took Atlanta and Lincoln’s dismal popularity and approval ratings soared and Lincoln won the ‘64 election. Peace was NOT at hand. All Lee could do was try to feed his troops and watch them bleed and die. Still, he wouldn’t give up. He let Grant continue the slaughter until his starving troops began to desert en masse or, if they stayed, couldn’t fight. Even the southern strategy of granting emancipation to any slave who would take up arms against the North failed to replace his lost and irreplaceable troops. Many of his best Generals were dead, captured or wounded during the three Grant campaigns. Finally, he had had enough – at least a year and half a million deaths too late, but he finally did quit.
Jefferson Davis was in charge of southern strategy, not Lee. Late in the war, Davis finally realized he was not a strategist or tactician and he gave his generals some planning authority, but by then it was too late. Before Grant took charge of the Federal Armies, Southern strategy was to defend and to fight defensive battles from fortified high ground. The one offensive gambit by the Confederacy was the Gettysburg Campaign. The objectives were twofold. One, if The Army of North Virginia could get between the Army of the Potomac and Washington, there was actually a chance of winning the war. Two, if the South could win a major offensive campaign or battle, that might be enough to bring Great Britain into the war on the side of the CSA and if Britain joined, so to might Spain, France and other European powers. Such alliances could have countered the southern lack of manpower, industry, food, arms, ammunition and provisions. That was a pipedream. The key was Britain. No other European nation was about to get involved unless and until the British did (for fear of ending up in a war with the Brits) and given the diametrically opposed views on slavery between the CSA and Great Britain, an alliance simply was not possible.
Davis’ grand offense didn’t work. Lee was crushed at Gettysburg in no small part because of the poor leadership and insubordination of Richard Ewell, which all but took the entire II Corps out of the fight. Dan Sickles tried to give the battle right back with his incompetence and insubordination, but Winfield Hancock saved his butt. Had Meade followed up the win at Gettysburg as Lincoln first ordered then pleaded with him to do, he could have trapped Lee’s defeated and exhausted army on the swollen banks of the flooded Potomac with no escape. The war could have been over and done with in July, 1863. If Grant had been Meade’s superior then and at the scene, it would have been. At the time, Grant was busy taking Vicksburg, where the Union victory was pursued.
GENERAL LEE TRIBUTE
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Robert E Lee Headquarters Flag – 3 foot by 5 foot Polyester (NEW) $7.94 … |
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THE DUKES OF HAZZARD POSTER General Lee – Car 01 NEW $6.99 Approximately 24×36 in. Will ship in a tube… |
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Sale – Civil War Robert E. Lee Bust – THE Perfect Gift ! $18.95 Perfect for Home or office – Made of Polystone – Finish- Bronze – Mounted on a black base- 4 rubber felts on bottom of base to- protect your fine furniture – 6 inches High – MINT – Brand New – Gift Boxed – The picture does not do this piece justice. – Label on bottom of bust (see picture) Robert E. Lee 1807-1870 “First Gentleman of Virginia” Robert E. Lee graduated from West Point. Though he freed… |
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Lady and the Tramp (Diamond Edition Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) $24.99 Fall in love with Walt Disney’s Beloved Classic, Lady and the Tramp! Experience the thrilling adventures of Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a freewheeling mutt with a heart of gold. This heartwarming tale now charms a new generation of families and fans with its exquisite animation, unforgettable songs and one of the greatest love stories of all time. This is the night to sha… |
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Lady and the Tramp (Three-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) $29.99 Fall in love with Walt Disney’s Beloved Classic, Lady and the Tramp! Experience the thrilling adventures of Lady, a lovingly pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a freewheeling mutt with a heart of gold. This heartwarming tale now charms a new generation of families and fans with its exquisite animation, unforgettable songs and one of the greatest love stories of all time. This is the night to sha… |
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Toy Story 3 (Four-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) $14.95 What made the original Toy Story so great, besides its significant achievement as the first-ever feature-length computer animated film, was its ability to instantly transport viewers into a magical world where it seemed completely plausible that toys were living, thinking beings who sprang to life the minute they were alone and wanted nothing more than to be loved and played with by their children… |
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Greenlee 540-12 Fish Stix Kit With Bullet Nose And J-Hook Threaded Tips, 1/4 X 12′ $37.31 540-12 Blade Len.: 12 ft, Price Each (part# 540-12) This item features: -1/4” fiberglass rods provide added rigidity for working above ceilings, down walls, or under raised floors. -Two different types of threaded tips included. -Material: Fiberglass. -Includes: Bullet Nose & J Hook Threaded Tips…. |
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Lee Hiller Designs General Prints – Colorful Owls on Black – Light Switch Covers – double toggle switch $13.75 Colorful Owls on Black Light Switch Cover is new and handcrafted utilizing unique process resulting in a stunning high gloss ceramic-like finish. SET OF MATCHING SCREWS IS INCLUDED giving it a perfect finishing touch. Made of durable metal material…. |
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Lee Hiller Designs General Prints – Colorful Owls on Black – Light Switch Covers – single toggle switch $11.75 Colorful Owls on Black Light Switch Cover is new and handcrafted utilizing unique process resulting in a stunning high gloss ceramic-like finish. SET OF MATCHING SCREWS IS INCLUDED giving it a perfect finishing touch. Made of durable metal material…. |
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Finding Nemo (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) $11.25 From the Academy Award(R)-winning creators of TOY STORY and MONSTERS, INC. (2001, Best Animated Short Film, FOR THE BIRDS), it’s FINDING NEMO, a hilarious adventure where you’ll meet colorful characters that take you into the breathtaking underwater world of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Nemo, an adventurous young clownfish, is unexpectedly taken to a dentist’s office aquarium. It’s up to Marlin… |
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‘General Robert E. Lee’ Giclee Canvas Art $99.99 Title: General Robert E. LeeImage Dimensions: 24 inches wide x 36 inches high x 2 inches deepProduct Type: Giclee Canvas Art |
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Elvis Presley/Carl Perkins/Jerry Lee Lewis/Johnny Cash – The Complete Million Dollar Quartet [9/19] * $9.89 Description Not Available |
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John Lee Hooker – Best Of Friends $10.56 Description Not Available |
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Peoples of the Plateau $22.53 Although he was not a professional photographer, Moorehouse, who was a businessman and military officer, produced over 9,000 glass-plate negatives, one-third with Indians as his subjects. This collection depicting the lives of Pacific Northwest Indians… |
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Motley Crue: The Dirt-Confessions of the World`s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee (Paperback) $11.43 Here is the all-inclusive version of the whole glorious, gut-wrenching story of Motley Crue’s life experiences with everything from their heavy drinking, drug use, women, and exploits to their world travels, personal demons and dire consequences. |
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Lee Bros. Cookbook $22.87 Description not available. |
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Brenda Lee – The Definitive Collection $10.97 Description Not Available |
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Million Dollar Quartet – Complete Million Dollar Sessions -50th Anniv. Special Edition $11.36 Disc 1:DISC 1:You Belong To My Heart – (with Million Dollar Quartet)When God Dips His Love In My Heart – (with Million Dollar Quartet)Just A Little Talk With Jesus – (with Million Dollar Quartet)Walk That Lonesom… |
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American Experience: Lee and Grant – Generals of the Civil War (DVD) $23.8 This film from the documentary series THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE takes an in-depth look at the lives and careers of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, the two opposing generals who led the Northern and Southern forces respectively, in the American Civil … |
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Sandra Lee Cocktail Time (Paperback) $10.99 Sandra Lee`s favorite cocktails, just in time for holiday soirees and at-home happy hours Fans of Sandra Lee`s hit show “Semi-Homemade Cooking” love hearing Sandra say, “It`s cocktail time!” The regularly featured segment on her Food Network… |
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Sandra Lee Semi-HomemadeDesserts (Paperback) $12.21 Recipes for every palate and mood—the Semi-Homemade way creates an inspiring pairing of fresh ingredients and packaged foods. Indulgent dessert creations that are as spectacular in taste as they are in presentation. … |
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Hoda How I Survived War Zones Bad Hair C (Hardcover) $16.12 255 characters or less! |
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Gremlins 2 – The New Batch (DVD) $5.63 Just when they thought they were safe, young sweethearts Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates) from Joe Dante’s GREMLINS |
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Amos Lee – Supply And Demand $13.36 Description Not Available |
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The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook $22.87 A large-format collection of drawings and paintings culled from the illustrated edition of the Lord of the Rings and the recent film trilogy includes more than 150 illustrations from the author as well as twenty full-color plates made for Peter Jack |
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May I Quote You, General Lee $7.87 They are men of history and of legend, three great generals from the Civil War: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Joshua L. Chamberlain. Although they were adversaries on the field of battle, they were men of character and integrity. The way of l |
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Amos Lee – Amos Lee $12.44 Description not available. |
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Semi Homemade 20 Minute Meals 2 (Paperback) $14.81 In Semi-Homemade 20-Minute Meals 2, Sandra Lee delivers another delicious collection of timesaving, shortcut meals that use the 70% store bought and 30% “fresh” or homemade formula. The cookbook features 60 perfect meal pairs, so the… |
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To Kill a Mockingbird – 50th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover) $15.29 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is about the crisis of human behavior and conscience arising from the racism and prejudice that exist in the small Southern town during the Depression. Scout Finch, age 8, who lives with her brother, Jem, and their lawyer father, … |
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Lee Morgan (Trumpet) – The Cooker $8.99 Disc 1:Night in Tunisia, AHeavy DipperJust One of Those ThingsLover ManNew-MaJust One of Those Things – (alternate take) |
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Sandra Lee’s Best of Semi-homemade (Hardcover) $19.57 A massive collection of the best of the best recipes from Sandra`s Semi-Homemade Cooking This new compilation is filled to the brim with 1,000 of her most popular recipes including 200 brand new recipes from Sandra`s personal recipe box and never-bef… |
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Heaven Forbid (Paperback) $11.58 The Reverend Stanley Lee and his wife, Passion, arrive at Gospel Truth Church to help the Reverend Doctor O lead a revival, but Passion is anything but happy with her marriage and finds that the Reverend Doctor O`s wife has her own crisis. By the autho… |
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Alvin Lee – Keep On Rockin’ (Import) $18.02 Disc 0:No track list available |
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To Kill a Mockingbird (Large Print,Paperback) $11.84 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is about the crisis of human behavior and conscience arising from the racism and prejudice that exist in the small Southern town during the Depression. Scout Finch, age 8, who lives with her brother, Jem, and their lawyer father, … |
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Jerry Lee Lewis – Mean Old Man [Deluxe Edition] [9/7] * $13.51 Disc 1:Mean Old ManYou Can Have HerDead FlowersMiddle Age CrazyRockin` My Life AwayYou Are My SunshineSwinging DoorsHold You In My HeartI Really Don`t Want To KnowRailroad to HeavenS… |