GDG- Inevitable defeat

[Jack Lawrence]

As an addendum and not a counterpoint, Both the ANV and the AoP divided 
their forces prior to the battle.
The ANV dived its forces to draw the AoP out of its rear, it was already 
trapped, so what the hey.
The AoP divided it's forces to intercept a confederat lunge out of the 
Cumberland that was never going to happen.
Then the two armies blundered together and threw everything they had in 
piecemeal.

Regards,

Jack

The south approached the war itself with a certain sense of invetiability.

I have no division.
Let us cross across the river...
Tell Hill he must come up.
That man will fight us every day and every hour till the end of the war.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: <joadx1 at netscape.net>
To: <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 11:19 AM
Subject: Re: GDG- Inevitable defeat


> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
> It would appear, then, that Lee was quite willing to ignore the Napoleonic 
> maxims.  At Chancellorsville, for example, he divided his army.  Jackson's 
> flanking maneuver was not overwhelming force; it was successful surprise 
> that succeeded because Lee anticipated Hooker's reaction.  Second Manassas 
> was a successful ambush of an army that didn't know where Longstreet was. 
> Pickett's Charge was hardly overwhelming force.
>
> In short, Lee made do with the human resources he had, which were never 
> overwhelming in numbers.  He relied on speed and surprise, and on the 
> morale of his forces.  He also relied on his knowledge of the AoP 
> commanders.  A lot of psychology was involved, but rarely, if ever, 
> overwhelming force.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CWMHTours <CWMHTours at aol.com>
> To: gettysburg <gettysburg at arthes.com>
> Sent: Tue, Jan 24, 2012 9:08 am
> Subject: Re: GDG- Inevitable defeat
>
>
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
> Tim.
>
> Sir,
>
> When you consider Lee as a general it is helpful, if not  required, to
> remember the 2 Napoleonic Maxims of Warfare, which  are:
>
> 1.  Always strike with overwhelming  force.....
>
> If you remember those 2 maxims you can start to  get a  handle on  R.E. 
> Lee.
>
> He was a master of those.
>
> ie. Witness Chancellorville or 2 nd Man.  The man was  briilliant.  If you
> were in his shoes it would be hard to deviate from his  actions, unless 
> you
> are a dumb guy,  which fortunately we are  not.
>
> Pemberton and J Johnston had some 50k men between  them. With a 1000 miles
> between them and Lee he did the right  thing.
>
> The fortress of Washington was  his focus.  He  needed as mny people as
> possible.  Because it was a fortress he knew that  he could never 
> successfully
> attack it.  He had to get the Northern forces  away from DC in order to
> bring overwhelming force on the  AoP.
>
> If you go into Penn you keep the Yanks off balance.  And  if you can, you
> attack with overwhelming force.
>
> It's actually very simple to understand Lee in that  light.
>
> Do you like my new sign-off?  I don't know what a  neo-anti unionst is but
> I like how it sounds.
>
> A  Loyal Neo-Anti Unionist,
> Peter
>
>
>
>
>
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