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Role of robert e lee in the civil war essay
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“We fought this fight as long and as well as we know how. We have been defeated. For us as christian people, there is now but one course to pursue we must accept the situation”.(Robert E. Lee.” BrainyQuote) The meaning of the quote by Robert E says the confederate army fought to there best but now have to accept defeat of the Civil War. Robert E. Lee was born in stafford,Virginia 1807 and commanded the Northern Virginian Army. He soon became the General over all the confederate army in the 13 succeeded southern states. Abraham Lincoln offered Lee a general spot for the north but Lee could not fight against his own people. Robert E. Lee graduated from West Point 2nd in his class. After the Civil War Lee died at Lexington, Virginia 1870 (History.com …show more content…
Staff). Robert E. Lee was one of the most successful and, versatile generals of the Civil War due to his impressive battle strategies, changed the direction of the war, and had a never say die attitude. Robert E.
Lee was one of the most successful civil war generals due to his impressive battle strategies. General E. Lee graduated from West Point a military college 2nd in his class. This gave him an advantage because he could outsmart the Northern generals. Robert E. ("Robert Edward Lee." Encyclopedia of World Biography,)Lee was a aggressive and daring general. Being aggressive has won him a alot of battles because his army was tougher and pushed back the North. Lee also knew when to attack and not. Using this skill he saved a lot of his troops. It also saved supplies so he didn't run out or ware down his men. Using these skills made Robert E. Lee an impressive general in the Civil War.("Robert E. Lee." Civil War …show more content…
Trust) Due to Robert E. Lee impressive battle strategies he was able to change the direction of the Civil War. Robert E. Lee won two major battles during the war. The north invaded chancellorsville and Petersburg which the South won both and stopped the North from advancing. Winning these two battles put a big dent in the Yankees army and stopped them invading the south. What also changed the direction of the war was the confederate army. The north did not expect it to be as big and strong as it was ("Robert E. Lee." Civil War Trust).The south also had smarter and more versatile generals. Robert E. Lee was the best general the South had. When Lee invaded the North at Gettysburg it surprised the north. For days on end both sides lost a lot of men and it weakened both the Northern and Confederate armys. When this battle happened it scared the yankees. Lee struck fear into the the heart of the north. The north took a huge hit and was low on men and supplies ("Robert Edward Lee." Encyclopedia of World Biography,).In order for the North to recoupe they had to combine different armies of the north. Robert E Lee changed the direction of the war by being aggressive and smart Winning the wars tip the tide of the Civil War. Robert E.
Lee could not have had impressive battle strategies, and change the direction of the Civil War if he didn't have a never say die attitude. Lee loved to fighting war. He loved what he learned at West Point be used into real life situations. Robert E. Lee also liked to fight for what he believes in. His home and heart is in the south so he stood up and fought for for the South ("Robert E. Lee." Civil War Trust).Lee was very competitive and hard headed. He had the drive to win the war and be free succeeded states. Lee fought to the bitter end every battle. He didnt fear anything not even death. He wouldn't give up or let go. He fought with a passion to and be great at what he does. He is always Positive and keeps a good mind set when he fights. Robert never thinks defeat his objective is to always win and achieve that goal. Even after a bloody war Lee was ready to fight again ("Robert Edward Lee." Encyclopedia of World Biography,). He never gave up or surrendered when in battle. After Lee fought a war he was ready to strike again and advance onward. He always wanted the upper hand and was one step ahead of everyone else. Fighting right after a battle never gave the north time to resupply or get more men. This tactic deteriorated both armies and was very risky. If Lee didn’t have a never say die attitude he would of never have been the great general he was ("Robert E. Lee." Civil War
Trust). Implementing impressive battle strategies, changing the direction of the war, and having a never say die attitude are the reasons why robert E, Lee was one of the greatest generals of the Civil War. If Robert E, Lee had never been a general of the south, would the war had been different or the same?
Nevertheless, an attitude they show is their cause for engaging in the war. On page 110, Lee describes, “With every step of a soldier, with every tick of the clock, the army was gaining safety, closer to victory, closer to the dream of independence.” His words reveal that their reason for coming was to gain their long overdue independence. Without a cause worth fighting for on each side, the war would have no fuel or reason to continue. In like manner, another attitude of the South was their admiration for their commander general. On page 251, Longstreet proclaims, “Colonel, let me explain something. The secret of General Lee is that men love him and follow him with faith in him. That’s one secret.” I believe this clarifies that the bond of brotherhood and respect for each other in this army would allow for these soldiers to follow their leader blindly. The overwhelming amount of faith and trust among the Army of the Northern Virginia is inspiring. The Confederates prove in these appearances that they do indeed have an important cause that they are willing to die
Lee had supreme confidence in his army, and believed that it could accomplish whatever he asked of it. This confidence sometimes led him to ask too much, such as in the case of Picket’s charge during the battle of Gettysburg. In Lee’s mind he was first and foremost a Christian, and a gentleman. These facts, although not bad, certainly caused Lee to be less aggressive, and to fight the war in a very old-fashioned manner. This was not so with Grant, who seemed to believe in a more modern type of total warfare. Perhaps because this war, as many contend, was the first modern war, it was impossible for the South, and it’s leaders to adapt to the situation.
One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss
Lee to confederate President Davis written in the days following The Battle of Gettysburg. In these letters, Lee expresses that he no longer feels capable of fulfilling his duties as general and asks President Davis to replace him. President Davis decides to reject Davis’s request leaving a man who is not confident in his abilities to guide the Confederate Troops. General Lee’s lack in confidence could have caused him to become a weak leader which resulted in a weak army.
...ew the war he was fighting was not an epic Napoleonic battle but a war of attrition. He proceeded with his plan to slowly shrink Confederate territory and destroy Lee's army to the point that the South could no longer mount a viable defense. Eventually Grant succeeded and Lee's men were all that remained of the Confederate army. Grant surrounded them in trenches at Richmond until Lee was forced to surrender.
According to (Doc D) what Abraham Lincoln said “ We have to come to dedicate a portion of the battlefield as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives so the nation might have freedom and can live.” During the Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln is telling the north that they have a chance for beating the south because General Robert E. Lee gave up on invading the north and gave up on being general. This connects back to why the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point because everyone who tried their best on the battlefield knew that what they were doing would help their country gain their independence, and have a better future as a
Robert Lee makes bold moves to win victories. Lee was outnumbered two to one at Chancellorsville in May 1863; instead of just defending against the Union armies, he made an audacious move and split his army into two to encircle the enemy. Without Lee’s courageous move, the Confederacy might have lost another battle. But even if Lee was defeated, his performance would still stay on tract. When Lee was defeated at Antietam in September 1862, he quickly withdrew the remnants of his forces across the Potomac, reorganized his army, and res...
General Lee said, to be a good soldier you must love the army, to be a good general you must be prepared to order the death of the thing you love, and therein lies the great trap of soldiering. When you attack you must hold nothing back." Thomas J. Jackson was both a good soldier and a good general. In the Mexican War he fought with all his heart for his country. When the Civil War came, he was a general. He never hesitated to send his men forward. He held nothing back. George McClellan also fought with all his heart for his country in the Mexican War. When the time came to send his men forward in the Civil War, he couldn’t do it. He loved the army to much to order its death.
... by the war and fight more viciously. Lincoln was very careful not to underestimate his enemies in the South and sternly advised the American public not to get overconfident, “Let us not be over-sanguine of a speedy final triumph. Let us diligently apply the means, never doubting that just God, in His good time, will us the right result.” The siege of Vicksburg was in many ways the hardest blow to the South, because they lost their control of the river there, and lost communication with their western territories. In many respects, this was the day that I believe most of the southern soldiers believed the war had ended, and with Sherman making his march, the psychological impact was devastating. Without their beliefs, their way of life taken away, they had no reason to fight, and no reason to continue fighting because if Old Dixie could fall, so could anyone else.
...holly realized, in the years to come, but which did, in the end, help the two sections to become one nation again . . . after a war whose bitterness might have seemed to make such a reunion wholly impossible” (431). Though General Lee’s passion and ambition was admirable, the forward thinking that was embraced by General Grant is how society should live today. Visionaries with the passion of providing a better opportunity for us, as a nation, is a mindset that needs to be embraced by everyone. This forward thinking had been essential in the development of this nation and needs to become a priority to the men and women of today in order for our country to further succeed.
nation of mechanics…You are bound to fail.” Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman to a Southern friend.
Lee recognized the dwindling resource supply and concluded that success required offensive action. Lee, with the support of Jefferson Davis, hoped aggressive military tactics would push out Union forces devastating Southern soil and end the war before the home front fell apart. However, his plan to “take the war to the North, take the war out of Virginia…[and] hopefully get into Maryland” would require more soldiers (blight). But with the destruction and loss of land, particularly that devoted to industry and agriculture, efficiency on the home front was more important than ever. Approximately 61.5% of Confederate soldiers lived as farmers or farm laborers. Some of these men needed to remain on the home front to preserve some stability. However, by 1864, Lee could not “see how [the Confederacy could] escape the natural military consequences of the enemy’s numerical superiority” unless “no man should be excused from service” (gin, 252). With an army whose “ranks [were] growing weaker” and “losses [were] not supplied by recruits”, the battlefront’s strength would dwindle without additional recruits (gin, 150). Unfortunately for the Confederacy, too few men existed to sustain both the home front and the
...rned the essential plans that a leader would need to lead him troops. He also had the morale and spirits to keep the troops ready to fight for the freedom they wanted, as well as his ability to command such troops in placement and tactics.
After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives. The Confederate Army was...
Lee had shown many qualities to be chosen as a leader. He had his first military experience in 1864, and his military career took of from that moment. He served as a military officer in 1870. When June 1861 came around, he lead his troops into the Civil War. In result of this war, the Union won. The Confederates ended up surrendering which worked in the favor of the Union. In the following sentences, I will tell you how Lee’s leadership led the Union to a victory in the Civil War.