The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-24
From the Denver News.

NNN NE HUNDRED years ago today
W. was born the man who disputes
with Washington the title of
Americas greatest soldier-Robert Ed
ward Lee. 1t was his fate to cost his
country rather than to profit her; to be
the champion OF cause doomed, and
Justly doomed, to failure. But neither
misjudged duty nor Ill success can make
him other than he was-a splendid cap
tain and a knightly gentleman.
OF his character there Is little need
to speak at length. Robert was always
good" said his mother, and it does not
seem to have been mere maternal preju-
dice. But his excessive goodness did not
make him unmanly, and this is the more
remarkable when we recall the streak
OF womanly tenderness in his makeup.
He shed tears at the loss of his favorite
horse the sufferings OF his soldiers moved
him beyond the power of speech, at Get
tysburg he turned away his head and
could not give the order which sent Pick
ett's gallant division to its fate. Pickett
charged without orders. for he knew his
chief But when the broken remnant
staggered back from the hell into which
they had plunged Lee found his voice. ut
is my fault" he said to Pickett. II have
lost this battle!' he cried to the SOL
diers Now you must help me out the
best you can" Gentle, thoughtful, brave,
unselhsh and of remarkable personal
beauty, he disarmed his enemies and made
his friends disciples. He embodied the
best characteristics of the Virginian cav
alters Lee was a Christian knight, and
that IL high praise, though Nogi has
lately shown us that the Christian knight
and the heather one do not differ so
much
Lees rank among generals is matter
of dispute. though the disputants are not
far apart Probably few would question
that Marlborough Washington, yelling
ton and Lee are the four greatest cap
tains who have used the English speech.
In such company it is presumptuous to
talk of precedence, and we shall not do
so here.
1t was Lees fortune to contend against
superior numbers of troops who, with
rare exceptions were equal to his own
in quality and toward the last, superior
In discipline Under these circumstances
his record of victories is amazing ana
the skill with which he read the genius
of his war has been seldom maecheo'
Lee quickly saw what even so late as
1864 Grant spent 10000 troops In learning,
that II Is all but impossible to drive Amer
ican soldiers out of breastworks by
frontal attack. Lees victories, when on
the offensive, we're fianking victories. The
l. 1,<x, inv
Mcclellan's main body idle with mere
handful of men, and rolled up the pa
rade ground hero's right wing with an
overwhelming force. 1t was much the
same at Manassas, where he took Pope's
measure, and at Charlottesville, where
he defeated one of the finest armies on
earth. though 1t was nearly double his
own in number. But when Lee was on
the defensive no one ever crumpled his
tanks. He was fortunate. indeed, in the
quality of the commanders who long OPP
posed him. Yet even when Grants iron
hand had closed on the Union helm Lee
held out till the constant friction OF
battle had reduced the weaker army to
shadow But it Is noteworthy that he
never tried to play with Grant as ne
had played with Mcclellan. He knew his
man.
Great as was Lees generalship 1t was
not free from grave faults. He never
acquired the professional poise. the utter
Indifference alike to suffering and to crit
icism which made much of the greatness
of Grant. Lee saw the Federal army grad
ually oyertake and pass his own in dis
cinlna without being able to bring him
self to tighten the reins. He made the
Gettysburg campaign and defended Pc
tersburg against his soldierly Judgment.
In short he was the type of general
which his race most often produces. The