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Military strategy in the civil war
Essay about robert e. lee
Military strategy in the civil war
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Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807 at the Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Lee is the son of Revolutionary War hero Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee. In 1825, Robert entered the United States Military Academy. In 1829 he graduated second in his class of forty-six. Lee had the top academic record and had no demerits on his record too. Upon graduation he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. In 1831 while he was stationed at Fort Monroe, he married Mary Anna Randolph Curtis. Mary was the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. Together they had seven children, George Washington Curtis, William H. Fitzhugh, Edward, Mary, Annie, Agnes, and Mildred.
During the Mexican War, Lee was one of Winfield Scott's chief aides in the march from Veracruz to Mexico City. After the Battle of Cerro Gordo in April, 1847, Lee was promoted to major. By the end of the war, he had been promoted to lieutenant colonel. After the Mexican War, he spent three years at Fort Carroll in Baltimore harbor, where he became the superintendent of West Point in 1852. In 1855, Lee became Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry. He was then sent to the Texas frontier to help protect settlers from attacks by the Apache and the Comanche.
In October 1859, John Brown raided the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Lee was summoned by the Secretary of War on October 17, was given detachments of the Maryland and Virginia militia, soldiers from Fort Monroe, and United States Marines, and was told to suppress the slave uprising. When Lee arrived Brown and his men had been held up in the fire-engine house at the armory. In the early morning of October 18, Lee sent marines in to storm the house. After about three minutes, the raid was over, two marines had been shot and four of Brown's men were dead. Lee had successfully suppressed the uprising.
On April 18, 1861, on the eve of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee command of the United States Army (Union Army). However, Lee's loyalty to his native Virginia led him to join the Confederacy. He was first appointed to command all of Virginia's forces; he was one of five full generals of the Confederate forces.
During the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant played a main part in the Union’s Victory. He did this by: Winning multiple battles, his expertise as a leader, and defeating Robert E. Lee. Grant started his career as an officer by going through the military academy called WestPoint. After graduating as a Second Lieutenant, he made his way through the ranks in the Mexican-American War. During the Civil War, he was promoted to Brigadier General, Major General and then to Lieutenant General by President Abraham Lincoln. As a General in the war, Grant won multiple battles including: Vicksburg, Shiloh, Chattanooga, and Petersburg. Vicksburg was one of his best battles. Although he was outnumbered, Grant still managed to lead his men to victory. Vicksburg was one of the main battles that turned the war around, giving the Union Army the upper hand. All of these major battles lead to the defeat and surrender of Robert E. Lee at the Appomattox Court House in 1865. General Grant’s military skills were gained throughout his life as a soldier. All of these skills were used as he defeated countless enemies and won major battles. His expertise’s lead him to victories throughout the whole war, which ultimately helped him play a main role in the Union victory.
She died at Gettysburg. Here's a brief summary of what happened at the battle of Gettysburg. Lee was the general of the confederate side on the battlefield, and he was going against George Meade, who was the general on the union side at the battle. (Google)
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’s first military campaign was in West Virginia during the Civil War. There he took command of the Eastern Army of Virginia but, only after General Johnson was injured. Lee was greatly outnumbered by the Union Army. Lee came up with a plan to make up for his numbers by attacking General McClellan’s army. In the next days there were a number of skirmishes between Lee’s advancing forces and against McClellan’s army which became know as the Days Battle. After Lee’s success at the Days Battle, Lee gained control of the Army of North Virginia, the biggest army in Virginia.
General Winfield Scott ordered Lee to become his head engineer. Lee helped Scott on an amphibious attack at Brazos, Texas and then the march to Mexico City. Scott Trusted lee completely allowing him to make decisions close to a commander. The enemy held the upper hand in Jalapa. Lee got Scott to use a route he discovered, leading to the victory in the battle of Cerro Gordo. Lee won the brevet rank of major because of
Lee”). By 1855, he had returned to military service, where he would remain through the Civil War’s entirety, fighting for American forces in the Mexican-American War until 1861, when he resigned to lead the Confederate Army in the Civil War (“Robert E. Lee” Washington and Lee University). Lee had been offered command of both Union and Confederate forces, but chose the Confederates, as he was a Virginian. After the war and much consideration, he accepted the position of president of Washington College. Lee was focused on expanding educational opportunities. By bringing a law school to Washington College, increasing emphasis on the sciences, as well as adding programs in business and journalism, Lee essentially created the concept of college majors. He also imposed an honor system, stressing that every student “ought to be a gentleman”, which is followed closely and revered by students and staff of the college to the present day (“Robert E. Lee” Washington and Lee University). After his death, Washington College became Washington and Lee University because Lee had had such a positive impact on the university (“Robert E. Lee”). Despite his many accomplishments in war, Lee would be better remembered for his legacy on education. He was a highly skilled military leader, yet he led the losing side. Seeing defeat for what
George Rogers Clark was born in Albermale County, Virginia on November 19, 1752 to John and Ann Rogers Clark. The Clark family consisted of six boys and four girls living on a four hundred acre plantation. George Rogers Clark was not even the most famous person in his family, his younger brother William later came to fame with his good friend Merriwether Lewis for exploring Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase. The Clark family was very well to do and influential, which enabled them to send young George to very good school, and have him tutored by some of the great minds in the region, like George Mason. George Rogers Clark had three friendships as a child that forever changed and shaped his future as a leader and revolutionary war hero.
In Jackson’s Valley Campaign, he marched Page 2 17,000, mean 646 miles in 48 days, winning many minor battles along the way and defeating three Union armies. In fall 1862, Jackson made quite the mark with his actions at Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry was a three day war with the hope that the Confederates would capture the vital Union garrison and arsenal. As stated by Dennis E. Frye in his article Stonewall Jackson’s Triumph at Harpers Ferry, ‘the largest surrender of the United States forces during the Civil War occurred at Harpers Ferry’. General Lee decided to join his army and sent three columns under the command of Jackson.
In his extraordinary book, Lee the Last Years, Charles Flood gives a rare blend of history and emotion. After Lee’s surrender at Appomattox courthouse, he only lived a total of five years before his death. Some people might think that he was just a general, but the best years of his life were after the war because he changed the minds of the south and he changed education. Even though Robert E. Lee is best remembered for his military campaigns, this is a part of history not told in many history books because he did more than any other American to heal the wounds of the south and he served as a president for Washington College, which was later renamed after his death to be Washington and Lee University.
The Marquis de Lafayette is best remembered for the part he played in the American War of Independence. He contributed in helping the Americans gain free control over the colonies by breaking away from British home rule. For sixty years he fought with consistency and insight for political ideals and social reforms that have dominated the history of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Hence, Lafayette can be attributed to the spreading of liberty and freedom throughout America and France. Therefore, he is viewed as a symbol of liberalism in a once absolutist world.
The colonists might have over exaggerated the whole problem a tiny bit. Also in His home colony, Rhode Island, a naval vessel from the British kept watch on the Islanders. The British were there to make sure the Islanders didn't smuggle, steal, or disrespect other commanders already watching over his colony. During the battle the red coats were devastated by 270 casualties and 73 of them died and around fifty Americans died.
After months of planning, John Brown and his twenty-one “soldiers'; marched into the strategically located town of Harpers Ferry with the goal of starting a slave revolt which would lead to the abolishment of the institution of slavery. Within hours Brown and his followers had taken several hostages, and gained control of the armory, the arsenal, and the engine house. The following days consisted of skirmishes with the towns people and the arrival of the United States Marines. After a brief confrontation the Marines easily captured Brown and his few surviving followers. On October 27 the trail of John Brown began. Only five days later the trial came to a rapid conclusion, with the jury finding Brown guilty on all charges. Two days later Brown was sentenced to death. His execution followed precisely one month later, on December 2nd. Clearly, Governor Wise and the state of Virginia acted justly and fairly when they tried John Brown and executed him for his deeds at Harpers Ferry.
In 2003, Roy Blount Jr. published the book Robert E. Lee through the Penguin Group Inc. This book is different then other books published about Lee due to the fact that this book looks behind the man in uniform, and shows how Lee became the legend that we know today. Blount brings an element of humor that some would not expect to find when writing about Lee. Through this type of writing, Lee transforms into the everyday person who we all can relate to.
Lee is an excellent general for our newly created Confederacy. He is not only a national hero and in a very positive public light, he is also brilliant and valiant, knowing when to strict vital blows on the enemy. Even considering Lee’s weaknesses, he is still the General we need to lead the Confederacy to victory.
While doing that, Brown created a plan that one night, a small group would capture the federal armory and arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. There, the group would seize all the guns and escape. Slaves would then join the group, creating an army, and diminish slavery in the South. On October 16, 1859, John Brown led a procession into Harpers Ferry and the raid went perfectly as planned. By noon, however, the Virginia militia entered Harpers Ferry and closed the only escape route. At the end of the day, Brown only had five of the twenty-two men he began with available to continue fighting.