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Originally Posted by Legal Bill,Sep 2 2006, 09:46 PM
Day 1, Chapter 3, Lee
He starts his ride to the front with concerns of retreat. What is Lee's role on this morning? By the end of the day? What do you think of how the battle is orchestrated and commanded on the Confederate side?
Hill is sick and Heth is in over his head. He has not listened to the reports of Union cavalry and has committed troops a little at a time until the entire division is involved in what he thought was going to be a "brush off" of a few militia with shotguns.
Yet the pieces fall together for the Confederacy as General Early and Rodes, acting without orders attack the Union flanks. Heth, who started what could have been a disaster, is eager to redeem himself. Lee has little to do but order Heth and Pender to rejoin the attack. Finally, the Union breaks. But to what end? Lee is immediately concerned that the Union is reforming on the high ground. He knows this cannot be allowed. He orders his generals to pursue if at all possible.
Why won't Lee's generals pursue?
Longstreet arrives on the scene after the battle is over. He is pleased but does not kid himself that the success is the result of planning and again recommends the defensive strategy. Read Lee's reaction carefully. Note Lee's thoughts about numerical strength on page 119.
Why does Lee want to take the fight to the Union? Moments ago he has expressed concern over the Union reforming in the hills. Now he doesn't want to hear Longstreet's advice to move away from those same hills. Isn't Longstreet simply echoing Lee's own observation??? Yet, it seems, when he his presented with his own concerns, Lee goes in another direction.
I think Lee is contingency planning at the start of the chapter, working through "what if" scenarios, as a good commander should. By the end of the day, he is waiting for Ewell to attack, to take the hill (Cemetery Hill?).
To date, the only plan evident is that of Buford's, make a fight for control of the high ground. It's not clear that Lee has a plan, other than to concentrate his forces, prior to attacking. His divisions are marching on the roads leading to Gettysburg, to concentrate the army, and they come across some Union forces. They hear cannon and musket fire, so they do what they should, and engage the enemy, and they push them back, get them running away up a hill.
Two of Lee's generals are attacking without orders. Is that bad? Or is it acceptable for field commanders to act on their own initiative? Lord Nelson told his captains, words to the effect of "no captain can do wrong by placing his ship alongside that of the enemy." Lee's generals have orders not to engage the enemy until the army is all up and concentrated. But how is that possible now?
I think Lee is trying to formulate a new plan based upon the realization that the previous plan is not going to work. His forces have been engaged, but are not yet concentrated.
He knows the force that occupies the high ground will have the advantage. Does he definitively order his generals to take the high ground? Are the orders clear? Shaara states at the closing 'He picked up the glasses, waiting for Ewell's attack. No attack began.' I can picture Lee looking, wondering why. Are Lee's field commander's currently engaged as "battle hardened" and forward leaning as Stonewall Jackson?
I'm not sure why Lee wants to attack in the morning. He again witnesses a battle, and sees another "victory" for his forces. Perhaps he thinks his forces are invincible?
For me, this only reinforces my doubts about Lee's state of mind. The threory that he wants to get this over with now is still the one that best fits all the facts.
Vito, you can see even from the supplemental materials you sent me that Lee is very concerned about the fortification of Cemetary ridge. Longstreet's assesment of the situation seems to be spot on and follows logicaly from Lee's own concern. Yet Lee takes the opposite side when Longstreet states the obvious. It is as if Lee knows what the right answer is, but wants his Generals to tell him the wrong answer. As if he hopes he is seeing things through eyes that are too conservative and hopes that his Generals will give him a contrary and more optomistic view. When Longstreet confirms Lee's own impression of the battlefield, Lee must now take the optomistic view he was hoping to get from others.
Maybe i read too much into this, but Lee seems to turn on a dime at the end of this chapter and I see no explanation for it.
Originally Posted by Legal Bill,Sep 3 2006, 01:23 PM
Great link Vito, thanks.
For me, this only reinforces my doubts about Lee's state of mind. The threory that he wants to get this over with now is still the one that best fits all the facts.
Vito, you can see even from the supplemental materials you sent me that Lee is very concerned about the fortification of Cemetary ridge. Longstreet's assesment of the situation seems to be spot on and follows logicaly from Lee's own concern. Yet Lee takes the opposite side when Longstreet states the obvious. It is as if Lee knows what the right answer is, but wants his Generals to tell him the wrong answer. As if he hopes he is seeing things through eyes that are too conservative and hopes that his Generals will give him a contrary and more optomistic view. When Longstreet confirms Lee's own impression of the battlefield, Lee must now take the optomistic view he was hoping to get from others.
Maybe i read too much into this, but Lee seems to turn on a dime at the end of this chapter and I see no explanation for it.
Lee and Longstreet both want to defeat the Army of the Potomac, that's the cat they have to skin. Longstreet is ahead of his time, as the Civil War marks the transition away from Napoleonic Warfare. Longstreet wants to redeploy between Meade's Army and Washington, and let the Union Army attack Lee's Army on ground of Lee's choosing. Defeat the Union Army using defensive tactics.
Lee admires Napolean, and has been successful to date using his tactics (maneuver, seizing the initiative, exploiting weaknesses) to defeat consistently superior Union numbers with a smaller army. Lee knows the Union forces have batteries on the high ground, are entrenching. Yet, he is thinking attack. Defeat the Union Army using maneuver/offensive tactics. He just has to figure out the specific plan to defeat them with maneuver. How is his intelligence, any better now?
What is going on in Lee's mind? How is he reaching his attack/redeploy decision?
Here are the tell-all phrases for me:
Lee: "They will probably retreat......" At the end of day 1, the Union forces are running away, again.
"...What I ask if this army retreat?" The effect on morale of Lee's Army.
Look at Shaara's description of the leaders at the beginning of the book. Why is Lee listed first for the Confederacy, and Meade listed 4th for the Union? How is Lee portrayed compared to Meade?
I think Jackson was Lee's tactical "soul mate". When he lost Jackson two months prior to Gettysburg, he lost his alter ego. Lee wants reinforcement for his attack decision, which he knows he would have received from Jackson.
Does Lee think he can win the battle that's coming on day 2? Does Longstreet think they can win if they attack an entrenched Union Army?
I have been so impressed by the knowledge and history found in this thread that I have decided that my contribution should be the music of the Civil War. Today I went to Barnes & Nobles and found this
From this and other music in my collection I am going to put together a compilation CD of the music that the soldiers and people at home were singing
during the war.
I'm definitely interested. You can put me on the list. Great idea, Rob!
[I also like the background music in Ken Burn's Documentary on the Civil War. I went down to Barnes and Noble to buy the collection a few weeks ago, but they didn't have it in stock. I think it costs about $160. or so. I think Amazon.com has it for closer to $100.]
So far my compilation CD is going to include the following selections
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
John Brown's Body
Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
When This Cruel War is Over
Bonnie Blue Flag
Dixie's Land
Yellow Rose of Texas
Aura Lee
Goober Peas
Beautiful Dreamer
Kathleen Movourneen
Battle Cry of Freedom
My Old Kentucky Home
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
I've also found some backgroung information on most of the songs. If I have time I may put together a book of background info.
I don't have all of the selections yet, and I'm not happy with some that I have. I will do some more looking.
Late poster, I just discovered this thread. This is OT and it's not. It might give you some food for discussion when you are there although it is not specifically about the book, actually it
Lee and Longstreet both want to defeat the Army of the Potomac, that's the cat they have to skin. Longstreet is ahead of his time, as the Civil War marks the transition away from Napoleonic Warfare. Longstreet wants to redeploy between Meade's Army and Washington, and let the Union Army attack Lee's Army on ground of Lee's choosing. Defeat the Union Army using defensive tactics.
