Fleeing? well, they are fleas, yes. But, my thinks the NYT is trying to drum up some sympathy, as if they were shot in the back. No, they weren't fleeing, they were merely regrouping, so as to plan and execute their next attack on civilization.
They were trying to deploy to Okinawa....
“But, my thinks the NYT is trying to drum up some sympathy, as if they were shot in the back. No, they weren’t fleeing, they were merely regrouping, so as to plan and execute their next attack on civilization.”
Exactly. The reason Grant was able to beat Lee was because he relentlessly followed Lee’s retreating forces. Had Meade chosen to aggressively pursue Lee’s fleeing army at Gettysburg, the war might have been over a year earlier.