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In reply to the discussion: Trump: 'Robert E. Lee was a great general' [View all]modrepub
(3,491 posts)Except for the Confederate Navy (one ship, CSS Shenandoah) decimating the North's whaling fleet in the Pacific, most of the Civil War campaign's located furthest from Washington DC ended well before the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered. In fact, I'll argue that the further you were away from Washington DC the better the Northern units did. IMO, this was due to the Lincoln administration's interference in the command decisions. Here are some examples:
Lincoln withheld troops from McClellan's Peninsula Campaign when he was told how low troop numbers guarding DC had fallen; McClellan had deliberately hid this from Lincoln but this left him short and soured his already low opinion of the President. McClellan was also loath to share his overall strategy with the Lincoln or Stanton since he felt, rightly so, that Confederate spies were all over DC and apt to get wind of any of his plans. McClellan may not have been the best field general but he was a wizard at organization and logistics. In the end it was his plan to attack Richmond from the east supplying the large Army of the Potomac from the ocean and rivers instead of road and single-track railroads that finally defeated the Army of Northern Virginia. The war might have been faster if Lincoln had moved McClellan to Winfield Scotts position early in the war but his administration and McClellan had a mutual loathing of one another.
Meade's instructions from Lincoln were to find and attack the Army of Northern Virginia and protect Washington DC. This was the overall plan for the Lincoln's commanders in the east. I can't think of any other theater which had these restrictions of simultaneously attacking and defending. Grant was never given this restriction (but he was never technically commander of the Army of the Potomac either; he was given overall command of the US army but chose to leave Washington DC and take to the field. Meade offered to resign his position when he met Grant so he could put one of his generals at the head of the Army of the Potomac. Grant was surprised at the offer but ultimately left Meade in his place but in effect the Army of the Potomac became Grant's army for the rest of the war)
Do I have to even mention Washington/Lincoln's installment of politically connected/incompetent generals at the head of the Army of the Potomac?!? Ok I will, Pope, Burnside and maybe Hooker. All (mostly) completely incompetent probably adding to Lee's mystique.