The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
MADE AND LEE AS GENERALS.
~KN. IONGsTREET COMPARESTHE
0ETTYSBUR0 COMMANDERS.
Meade the Creates - . Tacucasn. Lee
% . s~trategist- Mistakes on beth
sjdos-Meade's Capacity SHOWN on
other Fields Sheridan and Early.

!. e~trategfst- Mistakes On Both
eides-Meade's Capacity SHOWN on
Otber Fields Sheridan and Early.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 27.-Gen. Jongstrect,
Who was Gen. r. +. Lees fighting heu-
tsnant In the Confederate Army OF North
srn Virginia, made some interesting re-
marks on Civil War topics the other day
more particularly regarding debatabie
features Of Gettysburg and the relative
military qualities Of Gems. Meade and Lee.
the opposing commanders on that field and
In subsequent operattonst TO the close OF the
war. This question was asked him:
General Northern partisans, and e.
pecially Pennsylvanians. are very partial
70 the view that II was almost wholly to
Meade's superior generalship that the Union
army owed It's victory at Gettysburg.
ooh. well, there can be no objection 70
their getting all he satisfaction possible
out Of that view Of the CASE he replied.
with a depreoatory shake OF the head.
'Onoe concentrated and engaged, Meade
oonfessedly fought his arm we'll enough.
He won. but We made the pace; We made
the battle for him. We compelled him to
bring reluctantly his scattered corps up
70 Gettysburg. II Is q fact that he wanted
70 20 the other way
As the General had often expressed high
regard for Gen. Meade as a commander. I
was naturally surprised now at what ap-
peared TO be serious reflections upon that
ofhcer. / put this question:
well. then, how do you rank Meade
and Lee as commanders2'
'No Southerner will ever admit that
Meade was the superior Of Lee he an
1901 at auraa with NV naonlA In the
wider sense, In all but one Of the essential
attributes Of the great military leader. Leo
far outclassed Meade.
But perhaps as a tactician on the Geld
Of battle the Union General was his equal.
II not superior. Lees weak side was in
delivering offensive battle. True, he thus
several times won victory, but 1t was more
through luck, as at Charlottesville, than
brilliant dispositions.
Gen. Lees military reputation must, I
think. finally almost wholly rest upon his
qualities as a defensive General. Bold
and aggressive naturally. by education and
practice Lee was an engineer, and it was In
the art Of selecting and fortifytng a line
In which to receive attack. instead OF
delivering one, that he shone to best ad-
vantage.
Ice was great In the science OF war
and a comprehensive s~trategist. The Penn
s~ylvania invasion was a large conception,
promising great results. 1t was Lees
own.
"The preliminary manpuvres which car
ried the Army of Northern Virginia to
the Susquehanna, winning some cheering
successes on the way. were most brilliant
and added 10 our confidence Of a sweeping
victory. The ultimate concentration at
Gettysburg was accomplished like clock
work.
But when 1t came to ~marshalling the
troops on the field, when the battle was
actually pitched. n pitiable state Of affairs
ensued. No two corps fought in concert.
1T was a piecemeal battle. Meade was
permitted ample time TO concentrate over
powering forces first against one wing
and then the other.
However, there was no chan ce for us
on that field, even though the whole army
had been put in simultaneously. Tho
Union position alone defeated us. Be
sides that, the whole Federal army fought
magnifcently at all points.
'Brt after the battle was over, and
stratgic movements In retreat were to be
ordered. who could nave displayed more
eea'Nv az ~ cav dAllA
han Gen. Lee? His dispositions for the
retreat were good. His defensive position
In front of Williamsport and Falling Waters,
while waiting for the Hooded Potomac
TO subside, would have given us the victory
had Gen. Meade attacked, IA we hoped
he would"
Here / pressed Gen. Longstreet with
various questions about Meade. Of whom
H. frAal,r -aYA W-A Ht- go, --s..- -
what he thought TO be the general opinion
the Southern officers. His various
answers are epitomized as follows:
Gen. Meade was not n military genius.
He was just a safe, everyday sort Of com
mander. With excellent Judgment he COM
bined a large experience In the actual
handling of troops In battle as a brigade,
division and corps commander. In this
he had a great advantage over Gen. Lee,
for instance, who had never commanded
as a subordinate
'The only bright Union spot In the dis
astrous day at fredericksburg was Meade's
work as a division commander. He broke
Jackson's line and for "A brief hour made
things look dangerous on our right. But
there Meade was not promptly supported.
and N people soon recovered their ground
after sustaining heavy losses.
Meade. like Lee, was an engineer officer.
At Gettysburg he instinctively and wisely
sought a defensive battle. As late as July
I he was still looking backward to Pipe
Creek. and for a fortified line. But Meade
had plenty OF courage.
Luckily for Meade. Gen. lee compelled
him TO fight along Cemetery Ridge. a much
stronger position. The Union Army owed
more to lee than IL did TO Meade's genius
for the selection of that formidable battle
ground.
in fact everything shows that Meade
had no Affirmative influence whatever
n fixing the fold. the hour or the manner
of battle. | fully agree with Gen. Fitz-
hugh Ice that his uncle, unfortunately
for Confederate fortunes, was the positive,
directing force Oh that field: Meade the
negative.
Meade simply trailcd. When Lee had
enough Of it, ~ceasing from hopeless attack
only through sheer exhaustion from battle
losses, the battle thereupon ended. But
perhaps even this fact marked Gen. Meade