Quote:
Originally Posted by dannym
From what I recently read about Gettysburg, from Lincoln's biography, Lee was trying to make a run on Washington and Lincoln sent his army to meet them before they did.
Nobody chose Gettysburg as a battleground. Both army's just happened to meet there.
As far as the battle, Lee went against the recommendations of all his Generals and decided on the frontal assault. It was an extremly bad idea.
Historically the battle is considered a draw but it's significance is it's the first battle the Union army didn't lose.
Lincoln was extremely upset at Meade for not following and destroying Lee's army, which he was ordered to do. In my opinion that would have been the deciding factor in the battle.
Looking forward Grant did a much better job then any of his 4 predecessors but he had extermely high losses. See Spotsylvania and the Wilderness battles.
Looking back Lincoln made a lot of mistakes. The first and foremost in my opinion was appointing McClellan against the recommendation of Winfield Scott, and later refusing to remove him.
Danny
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The book is in error. Washington was too well defended for a direct attack. So was Richmond. Lee intended to do just what Sherman did, burn everything else but.
I think you have Antietim mixed up with Gettysburg. Up until the Battle of Antietim, there was a lack of Union victories, and it ended as a draw much like you describe. Gettysburg was certainly no "draw". Having one's best division shot to pieces and being forced to withdraw after being mauled is hardly a "draw". Lee was never able to use his army as an offensive weapon after that point, other than the cavalry raids of 1864 as mention by MS. It's best men and officers were lost, it's artillery abandoned in haste - it was a resounding Union victory, the problem was it was a victory Meade failed to take advantage of, as you mention. And prior to the battle, the Union had had a number of victories, mostly in the West, but it had also carried out a number of successful naval operations and coastal invasions in the East. But Yankee civilian morale was falling, because Robert E. Lee seemed indefeatable, and the war could have just been easily lost politically on the home front at that time as it could have militarily - Gettysburg put an end to that.
Grant and Lee were the world's preview of World War I, trench warfare, staggering casualties, with the emphasis on war being a contest between armies who slugged it out from behind defensive positions. Sherman was the world's preview of World War II, emphasis on mobility and manuever, and war being waged as much against the enemy's civilian population as it was a contest of armies. Gettysburg was the last gasp of Napoleanic War tactics. The rifle ended the massed infantry charge once and for all.