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Role of robert e lee in the civil war essay
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The civil war had many great soldiers fighting for what they thought was right for their country. It also had some of the greatest generals the United States of America has ever seen, sadly, some of these generals were on the losing side, but this fact does not make them any less great. Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are all evidence of greatness in a time of darkness.
Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807 in Stratford, Virginia. He was the youngest boy born to Henry Lee who fought in the American Revolution. Lee graduated second in his class in the U.S Military Academy at West Point, afterward joining the Corps of Engineering as a second lieutenant, and in 1838 he became a captain.
During the Mexican- American war Lee’s joined General John E. Wool’s operation, then and in 1847 he joined General Winfield Scott. After many other battles during the Mexican- American war, in which Lee was wounded, he rose through the ranks to make a pit stop at colonel. In 1852 Lee became the superintendent of cadets at his alma mater, even though he felt ill- prepared for the job, Lee’s strict policies proved to benefit the school. After three years though, Lee left and became the lieutenant colonel of the Second U.S Calvary. In 1859 when Lee suppressed John Brown’s uprising at Harper’s Ferry without any blood shed with the help of a company of marines, Lee became colonel of the First U.S Calvary.
Lee was very loyal to his home state: “He supported neither secession not slavery, but he felt deeply obliged to support his native state of Virginia” (Robert). When Abraham Lincoln offered him command of all federal armies he declined, to become the lieutenant-general of Confederate forces. Lee did not see much b...
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...ody can muster. All of the soldiers that fought in this war, any previous war, or even any current war, they all fight for what they believe is right.
Works Cited
Green, Carl R., and William R. Sanford. Union Generals of the Civil War.
Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1998. Print.
Hillstrom, Kevin, and Laurie Collier. Hillstrom. American Civil War: Biographies. Detroit, Mich: UXL, 2000. Print.
Michael, Joshua, and Paul G. Pierpaoli Jr. “Stonewall Brigade: American Civil
War.” World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2014.
Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
Ramold Steven. “Ulysses S. Grant.” World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
“Robert E. Lee.” World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
Yancey, Diane. Civil War Generals of the Union. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1999. Print.
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.
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...
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.
In conclusion, it was obvious from the beginning of the Civil War that the South would not win the war. This having been said, Robert E. Lee was a fine general, but was simply without enough soldiers to lead a successful uprising.
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.
World War II was a critical period for America, not to mention the world as well. Throughout all the fighting and bloodshed, Americans returned home successful. Over 700,000 soldiers were disabled after the war, thankful for their lives. All the success and happiness of this country wouldn’t have been possible if not for the bravery, courage, and strategies of our U.S. Generals. They provided the smarts, the morale, and motivation for our soldiers, navy, and airforce to come out victorious and recognized as the best in world history. The five major generals (George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Omar Bradley, and Douglas MacArthur) shall never be forgotten as the best generals America has ever had.
On May 2, 1863, 10:00 A.M. Jackson’s force began to move towards Hooker’s flank. Union scouts found Jackson and reported it to Hooker but Hooker thought it was the Confederates retreating. By 3:00 P.M. Jackson had made his way across the Orange Turnpike towards Hooker’s flank. At 5:00 P.M. Jackson’s force attacked Oliver O. Howard 11th Corps near the Wilderness Church. Jackson’s attack was so swift the Union didn’t have time to form a line. By 8:00 P.M. the Union had formed a secondary line. That night when Jackson came back to camp from a scouting mission he was shot by his own guards who didn’t recognize him. Command of Jackson’s portion of the Confederate force then we...
The American Civil War was one of the deadliest wars in American history, resulting in 620,000 casualties of soldiers and undetermined number of civilian casualties. Southern slave states declared their withdrawal from United States and formed the Confederate States of America; also know as “The Confederacy.” Northern twenty states free of slavery and five slave states in north came to knows as the Union. Many strategy and tactics were used during the American Civil War. In order to understand the military strategy and tactics of Union and the Confederacy, one must understand the manpower each side had, previous war experience of the commanding officers on both side, and using rivers and railroad to their advantages.
One of the most colorful characters of the Civil War was a General named William T. Sherman. During the period of the war (1861-1865), General Sherman went full circle from being forced to retire on trumped up charges that he was insane, to becoming a key player in bringing this bloody war to a close. He entered the annals of military history as one of the greatest and most distinguished generals of all time.
He was not "dignified" in the way that General Lee was, though rough and ready, he was always a gentleman, in the best meaning of the word. He was proud of his soldiers and his work, and ambitious to do his utmost for his country. He had so great a faith in the Union cause that he never for a moment lost hope that in the end it would succeed.
The American Civil war's causes, influential figures, bloody battles, and outcomes will and have left a mark on history forever. It shaped America's future and redefined the phrase "all men are created equal" as well as being a precursor for the Civil Rights Movement a century later. The Civil War made all people consider their Nation's stability and woke them up to the reality of civil war that would repeat in other countries again and again. America came out of it a battered and bruised yet stronger still country, and to this day it strives to maintain this caliber of honor and strength. It seems the saying,"no pain, no gain," has been made manifest in American history.
Lee is very quick; he organized scattered confederate troops into the famed Army of Northern Virginia in just three weeks. Lee’s wisdom urged him to keep the Union as far away as possible from the armament producing center of Richmond and far away from the northern part of the state where farmers were harvesting crops. Lee knows that defeats of such decisive sports will weaken our will to continue the war, and he prevented this at all costs.
leads Lee to severly consider the truth of Harrison. Had Lee have stayed in Taneytown, Pennsylvania the outcome of the entire civil war would be hendered slightly.
Abraham Lincoln (12 Feb. 1809-15 Apr. 1865) the 16th president (civilwar.org) of the United States of America was one of the main public persons that influence the civil war in many aspects. Even though the civil war may have been the last resource the nation had, it could be argue that Lincoln’s governments try its best to find a different solution. The civil war was a conflict that destroyed the nation; it perhaps could have been avoided if the second party had work for a solution. But it is true that maybe both parts could have looked out for the benefits of the people as a whole instead of their personal benefits. Lincoln principal positive effect on the civil war was actually before and during the war when Lincoln’s government had many attempts to prevent the confrontation, and when this one began he took the right decisions to win the war. One of the biggest effects on the civil war was the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which gave the slaves their liberty. Many would agree is that Abraham’s Lincoln effect on the civil war was positive but Lincoln made many mistakes or misjudgments during the war as well. Perhaps the biggest mistake Lincoln did was underestimating the South what caused many unnecessary deaths. He also did had misjudgments that cause many causalities. Since the beginning of time humanity has fought for what they thought was right. In April 12 of 1861(civilwar.org) The US would begin a fight for civic and moral rights, a civil war that perhaps was the last option for a country to reunite its values. Abraham Lincoln was the president of the time and the person the influence the most the course the war took. I strongly believe that Lincoln’s decisions influence or had more positive effects on the country. Being the president at times like the civil war is without doubt it is one of the toughest jobs, and one way or another there is going to be correct and incorrect decisions but I can agree president Lincoln did what he thought it was the best at that moment.