Confederate generals make better generals
Who made better generals, the egoistic and overly ambitious Unionist commanders, or the competent and proficient Confederate leaders? The much larger and organized Army of the Potomac was constantly being held back by the Confederates due to the ineptness of Generals like McClellan, McDowell and Pope. On the other hand, confederate forces lead decisive battles under the brilliant leadership of General Lee, Jackson, and Stuart. The confederate string of victories characterizes the necessary attributes of an excellent general. Facing a much larger enemy, the confederate leadership drove vital blows to the Unionists. Confederate generals were clearly the better generals, conducting marvelous campaigns, battle tactics and leadership.James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart is one of the legendary Confederate generals of the Civil War. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant cavalrymen of the War. Jeb Stuart understood the art of war quite well and played his role effectively. Stuart fought Sheridan, Custer and other cavalry generals and often ‘whipped’ them. His cavalry brigade supported the infantry at certain battles, namely, at First Mananass, Antietam and Chancellorsville. The cavalry would cover the flanks of the army. Some
General Jackson had earned the reputation of a fierce general, a stealth warrior and a fast marcher on his swift return from the Shenandoah Valley. All these characteristics helped General Jackson’s remarkable victory at Chancellorsville. By now General Stonewall Jackson was the main tool of General Lee. Lee trusted him with the prequel to the attack. Lee and he developed a solid strategy, engraving Hooker’s fate. He showed his knowledge of logistics in the preparation. He effected the first stage; positioning the soldiers in attack formations with discretion and a lot of precision. Then he showed his skills as a field tactician by overseeing the surprise charge over a large area while maintaining minimized casualties. It can be successfully argued that “his flank march and assault on the Federal Right wing set up lee’s masterpiece victory”. 15 After delivering a devastating attack against the Federals, Jackson, an ambitious but realistic general tried to follow up on his attack. And then came the fateful night a hero died while serving his country. After observing Jackson’s attributes, he can easily be classified as a superior general compared to his Union counterparts. General Robert E. Lee, the most revered confederate general is regarded as one of the greatest American generals in history. Brigadier-General Cooke, one of Lee’s important staff officers remarked that Lee was the reflection of an ideal soldier, almost in the same league as Washington. 7 At the outbreak of the Civil War, Lee was the most experienced and effective soldier, hence, was offered the command of the Union Army. A great strategist, tactician, leader, loyal and zealous, Lee had it all. Lee became highly respected in the North and a living legend in the South. Theodore Roosevelt once complimented about Lee as the “…very greatest of all Captains that the English speaking peoples have brought forth”. 8 Lee was a master strategist and brought battle to the Army of the Potomac successfully in a series of campaigns. Unlike Union generals, Lee would analyze his enemy generals’ strategy and test his moves. Then Lee would skillfully execute efficient plans that may have inevitable results, or in some cases, may have a high degree of risk. For example, his strategy at Fredericksburg would have brought have inevitable victory, while his march towards Washington was a risky strategy. “sans peur et sans reproche” 9. General Lee would plan campaigns with a high degree of precision and would take great care of minor flaws that might cause damage to his plans. Unlike Grant who risked the lives of ma
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Approximate Word count = 1755
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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