[XJarhead]

I don't know if you have ever taken a formal course in military history or studied it in detail, but if so then you would understand why Lee was viewed as a better general than Grant. That is an argument for another day.

I hate to say anything that's going to offend anyone, but....I think Grant's performance in the west was extremely impressive. It compares very favorably with Lee in the East, particularly when you consider that Lee was facing some extremely crummy union generals in the first couple years of the war.

Grant was not as impressive tactically after he came East, and (this is where I hope not to offend anyone) I think that may have been due to different troops quality. There were some good units in the Army of the Potomac, but the average quality was not as high as in the Army of Northern Virginia or in Grant's western armies. With a slightly lower troop quality, its a bit unfair to compare his tactical skill to Lee's when they opposed one another.

[Rebelbase]

Grant's entire Eastern strategy was to flank left until Richmond/Petersburg was invested while replacing casualties with fresh bodies along the way.

[GarySpFc]

I hate to say anything that's going to offend anyone, but....I think Grant's performance in the west was extremely impressive. It compares very favorably with Lee in the East, particularly when you consider that Lee was facing some extremely crummy union generals in the first couple years of the war.

I tend to agree with you regarding Grant in the West. That said, I have become quite a Civil War buff over the last 20 years. My favorite general is Nathan Bedford Forrest, and that due to the fact his tactics were somewhat similar to those used by Special Forces, only 100 years earlier. He has also been given a bum rap by the PC crowd, because they are only familiar with the negative part of his life.

[FFIGHTER]

Much of the praise of Lee, was his ability to wage effective war, with limited troops, limited supplies and logistical support as compared to the armies of the North. The manufacturing base, rail network, maritime resources and logistical support that the North enjoyed, made it impressive that the South was able to wage effective war against the North for as long as they were able. Many, including myself believe this was due to the overall superiority of the Confederate military leadership. There was a greater pool of military talent in the South, than the North. Though, there were miserable failures in Southern as well as Northern leadership. Some attributed this to the Military culture of the South, that is the prevelence of Military Schools (VMI, Citadel) that attendance by the Southern gentry became an integral part of society and culture, as it is still today. (VMI,Citadel,TAMU Corp.)