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In reply to the discussion: Civil War Question [View all]aaaaaa5a
(4,667 posts)44. I had a very knowledgeable civil war historian tell me that Lincoln
was so upset with McClellan that he was nearly fired several times throughout the early part of the war due to incompetence. It is my understanding that McClellan was so cautious in his war strategy that it cost the North dearly on several occasions.
Many historians have argued that the Civil War ended after the battle of Antietam. Apparently McClellan literally watched Lee and the limping defeated Confederate Army crawl away from the battle-zone at the conclusion of the war. And as a result, the Civil War lasted another 2 years, with intellectuals on both sides knowing their was no way the South was going to win. Hundreds of thousands of additional lives were lost for no reason.
As for Grant, yes many historians don't regard him as a great President. But that's not the topic of the thread.
One interesting note, at the start of the Civil War, Lincoln asked Lee to command the Union. Lee declined because he was from Virginia. And Virginia was joining the confederacy.
Of course as with anything, there are a wide array of opinions.
Here is one here:
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam/history/mcclellan-at-antietam.html
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"Low" commitment to public education doesn't even come close. One state even outlawed public ed.
ieoeja
Nov 2012
#30
The British ruling class DID NOT detest slavery, but the British industrial working class sure as
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#43
Funny. Was it Lincoln didn't have decent generals, or a decent leader of generals.
bluestate10
Nov 2012
#25
The single biggest mistake of the Civil War can be summed up in a single name
RomneyLies
Nov 2012
#29
6-1 against Lee. Retreated 6 times anyway. And stopped at the Virginia border with Lee routed.
ieoeja
Nov 2012
#33
Its military could hardly have fought a guerilla non-conventional war in any
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#38
Before Washington fell to the Army of Northern Virginia, chances are that the North would
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#35
I Could Be Wrong But I Thought I Remember It From The PBS Special By Ken Burns In 1990
DemocratSinceBirth
Nov 2012
#9
Shelby Foote was the historian interviewed who said that the North had one hand behind its back
JVS
Nov 2012
#12
Foote is the better writer, imo, but McPherson is the better historian (and
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#42
South was doomed, only lasted as long as it did because South had better generals at first.
yellowcanine
Nov 2012
#13
Um, excuse me, what battles did Grant lose? I can't think of any offhand. He
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#39
"Loss" is a loaded term to describe the outcome of either battle, as Grant was pursuing
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#52
The general strategy was established very early on by General Winfield Scott. His
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#64
Another factor which i've never seen discussed in this context is that the South was
hedgehog
Nov 2012
#22
Yes. If Grant had been the North's primary general from the start, the war never would have lasted
aaaaaa5a
Nov 2012
#31
Oh, please. I can bash McClellan with the best of them, but the Army of the Potomac
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#41
I must take issue with the first statement of your second paragraph. I know of no historian
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#51
Certainly they were. OTOH there is a very good argument made that it would have been
Egalitarian Thug
Nov 2012
#48
That is a specious argument (no offense) and does not give credit to the quasi-mystical
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#57
"Given British and French demand for Southern cotton," the South was exhausing its land.
AnotherMcIntosh
Nov 2012
#58
Well, your argument is belied by the fact of Lincoln's re-election in 1864 and by morale
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#55
You might want to review your history a little bit, specifically the
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#54
At Chancellorsville, Stonewall Jackson successfully attacked Hooker's exposed
coalition_unwilling
Nov 2012
#59