Posted on 03/25/2018 5:24:22 PM PDT by Bull Snipe
I’m truly sorry to do this, but your first sentence made me remember a TV show song from the 1960s...
The end of the Civil War was near
When quite accidentally,
A hero who sneezed abruptly seized
Retreat and reversed it to victory.
His medal of honor pleased and thrilled
his proud little family group.
While pinning it on some blood was spilled
And so it was planned he’d command F Troop.
Thomas won at Nashville and at Chattanooga by attacking defensive positions.
Lee was on the defense and was attacked by McClellan at Antietam. Lee was on the Defense at Fredericksburg. Two thirds of Lee’s army were in defensive lines at Chancellosville. At Second Manassas, Lee had Jackson Corp in defensive works along a railroad embankment. He used Longstreet’s corp. to attack the second day of that battle.
Grant overcame the defensive works at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg and Petesburg. In the later two cases, by simply out camping them (his words). Lee used defensive tactics when he believed they were the answer to the military problem. He used offensive tactics when he felt that they would answer the problem. Pap Thomas was the same way. IMO Putting Thomas in a Grey uniform or Lee in a blue uniform would not have changed the outcome of the Civil War.
I think you are correct though that a defensive war would have been a preferred plan for the south, but Lee's reasons for going into northern territory were very valid, as well as a high risk.
As long as we are pondering what ifs: In the spring of '61 Jackson ran the North ragged in the Shenandoah Valley. With about 15 to 20,000 men he tied up well over 50,000, he beat them on a regular basis and more forces were being sent. Jackson's troops could not long keep up the pace demanded of them, and it did not last. However,had his strategy been taught to others and applied into the border states of Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio Illinois and others sentiment against the war in the North would have been strong.
The south was, of course, out manned and out gunned and any toe to toe strategy would eventually have favored the North. The north did not need brilliant men to fight the war, they needed men who were willing to do what was necessary to win and that was Grant.
Neither side during the war had “brilliant” men to fight the war. All of the general offices of both sides would order a brutal head long fontal assault if they thought that was the only option available. Lee did it, Grant did it, Sherman did it, Bragg did it. The War is a good demonstration of group think when it came to tactics.
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