As a leading actor in the Civil War legend of martial glory, he has become a legendary figure, an American hero of exceptional nobility.” As an example, John Whiteclay Chambers II’s influential work “The Oxford Guide to American Military History” describes him as follows: “Lee was a man of high personal character and intelligence, charismatic and charming, a natural leader. And if Lincoln had been forced out of Washington by Confederate bayonets, his impeachment was likely.ĭespite this devastating defeat that doomed the Confederacy, Lee has been generally praised by historians. Taking any of these cities would have strongly encouraged the northern peace movement, which was willing to accept a continuation of slavery as the price of restoring the union. If Lee had won, he could have marched on Philadelphia, Baltimore or Washington. In other words, when his army arrived at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, Lee was at the top of his game. His soldiers had complete confidence in his leadership. His victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville (April-May 1863) is still studied in military schools. In the months before Gettysburg, Lee had won three major battles. Since his appointment as commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1862 a year before Gettysburg, Lee had become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of his subordinate generals and had coached them in his methods. And although the war would last for another two bloody years, Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg effectively ended the chances of the slave-owning South winning the Civil War. But at Gettysburg, Lee was out-generaled by Meade. If you feel the need to reread the previous sentence, it is probably because the history of the Battle of Gettysburg was to a great extent written by the losing side.Īccording to this mythical history, Lee was a tactical genius who inspired incredible loyalty from his hard-fighting barefoot army of heroes. Lee, was defeated by one of the most underrated generals, George C. One hundred and sixty years ago this week, one of the most overrated Civil War generals, Robert E.
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