The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-03-27

Wasbinpton. his army would

Washington, his army Woulu
dou otless have been destroyed before
he could have reached safe refuge In
the mountains or recrossed the Poto-
mao at the nearest ford, which was
west OF the mountain. Thsrefore, Lee
acted wisely in fighting where he did,
and the only mistakes he made were
tactical, not strategic, as shown In my
previous letter
Had General Lee died at Gettysburg,
he would not have ranked in history
as great general. His victories over
Mcclellan, Pope, Burnside and Hooker
would have been ascribed to the genius
of Stonewall Jackson, who participated
50 gloriously in all of them, for we all
remember that in the winter OF 1861 z
General Lee did not acquit himself
with credit in his campaign against
Rosecraps in West Virginia, and the
failure st Gettyburg with the danger
GUS halt q Falling Water and Williams
port, waiting for ireshet to run out
of the Potomac so that he might pass
his army over it, occasioDcd very un.
favorable comment from II any OF our
highest officers.
General Lee was doubtless great
general, but his great military talent
did not shine out fully in all its radi-
ant splendor until he met General u.
8. Grant in the Wilderness in the
spring Of 1864
General Lee had merely played with
Mcclellan, Pope, Burnside aud RookeI
taking great liberty with them and
violating every maxim of war in his
campaigns against them-such, for in
stance, as going off after Pope and leav
ing Mcclellan and his fine army on tho
James within days mach of Rich
mond, and in leaving Hooker In June
1863, with An army double his own II
number at Fredericksburg, and march
ing around him to Culpeper-libertie
which poor Hood miCtook for strategy
and in trying to initiate them left tn
road open to Sherman, which he &C
oepted, and marched upon Atlanta AM
the sea, while he, poor fellow, was de
feated at Franklin, Tenn, and had t
be relieved of his command by Genera
Joe Johnston.
Lee does not appear to have gotte
strictly down to business until he wa
confrontsd by Grant in the WILDERNESS
in the spring of 1864
General Grant WAS greatly surprise
when General Lee permitted him, III
molested, to CROSS the Rapidsn on tn
4th of May, 1864, with an army OF l54
600 men and train of 1000 wagons.
Seeing nothing of Lee or his arm!
Graut believed that he had fled, and a
he had to do was to pursue, overha1
and destroy him He little understOc
his great adversary. Lee was Thorough
ly informed as to every move Graz
made, and when Grant begun, on Il
morning Of the 9th of May, to uncC
his great army, which lay in many folt
around Germans Ford, and seTpen
like. extend its fiery and bristling hei
through the dark jungles of Il
Wilderness, Lee, who was holdil
his little army Of 30, 900 men mass,
and we'll in han on his flank, fell up
him with the fury of Cyclone, boa
ing him at every point, aud compellll
him TO recall his advanced corps and
prepare and fight the two. days battI
IF the Wilderness in which Genel
Lse and his little army most sigma
triumphed.
General Grant now saw that in
game Of skillful maDoeuvering he "
not q match for General Lee, and fe
ing that he could not drive him out
his path, he begun series Of the me
remarkable tactical evolutions ever
"a. .ployed on battlefield.