[Cleburne]

I don't think Meade was all that hot. He had his good points, but his performance in the Wilderness was less than satisfactory- although one might attribute some of his problems to the rather foolish method of "dividing" command between Grant and Meade, and the fact that no one seemed to know exactly how the whole mess worked out.

[weikel]

I'm not sure the wilderness campaign was neccasary I think Grant could have outflanked Richmond rather than facing the confederate army right on( like Sherman would have almost certainly done Sherman understood the Sun Tzu philosphy of seeking victory before seeking battle) Grant was more simpleminded then Sherman. As Grant said about his military philosphy "I find the enemy and I attack them"( I'm not sure of the exact quote).