Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-19
By the Associated Press.

RICHMOND, Jan. l9.-Dr. Doug
las Southall Freeman thinks the
United States armies of 1943 will
have the advantage of two great
qualities of leadership which made
the battles and campaigns of Gen.
Robert E. Lee subjects for study by
military commanders the world over.
81 believe Gen. George C. Mar
shall, Army Chief of Staff, is show
ing exactly the same thorough, de-
tached judgment Gen. Lee showed"
DR.. Freeman said. The Nation can
afford to gamble on the gamble Gen.
Marshall is taking because behind
the gamble is great intellect, sound
judgment and magnificent char
acter."
AS the South prepared for observ-
ance today of the birthday ami
versary of Gen. Lee, and Thursday
of the anniversary of Gen. T. j.
"Stonewall" Jackson, DR.. Freeman
was asked what in his opinion mod
ern generals owed to the great Con-
federate commander.
Ability to Guess Well.
"At this stage of the war, two
items of Gen. Lees equipment as a
commander that are most impor-
tant in our leadership are his abil-
ity to guess we'll and his sound judg-
ment of men," answered the man
whose ''R. E. Lee" based on 20 years
of study received a Pulitzer award
in biography. DR.. Freeman, editor
of the Richmond News Leader, has
also published the first of three vol
umes on Lees Lieutenants, a Study
in Command"
Celebrating, DR.. Freeman ex-
planned that many things which
puzzled oldtime commanders have
been simplified now. The problem
of supply is not the problem it was
If the commander has capable sub
ordinates. Many things formerly
handled by the commander are now
under large and competent gen.
eral staff.
But the main thing is unchanged
and nobody can do it for him." DR..
Freeman said.
HE must guess what the enemy
will do. Almost all intelligence re-
ports are subject to two interpreta-
tons. The commanding general
must decide which of the interpre-
tations is the more probable. Gen.
Lee can be of great service to our
commanders if they will study what
he did.
Cites Wilderness Battle.
His analysis and his choice Of
men to collect intelligence were
among his outstanding qualities as
a commander. More than once his
lieutenants said they didn't under
stand how he reached the conclu-
sions he did, and how he guessed
correctly what his adversary would
do. They didn't appreciate that
Gen. Lee was Sitting the reports,
weighing the evidence and from his
abundance of experience making the
right guess.
can example was on May 7, 1864,
in the Wilderness. The day before
there was a hard fight, on the 7th
there was a lull. --Before the day
was over the general decided the
enemy was going to move in GER
tain direction and ordered troops
to go there. Nobody understood
why, but he had been studying all
the evidence as it accumulated and
concluded in the end that there
was only one logical thing for his
opponent. BY guessing correctly
that day he kept his flank from
being turned at Spotsylvania Court
house"
DR.. Freeman said Gen. Lee had
to gamble on men, but that he
gambled on the basis of judgment.
He had to gamble on the quality of
commanders and on the endurance
of men.
This is a gamble in which there
is large element of judgment,
though this isn't always appreciat-
ed" DR.. Freeman said.
tnOlCe OF AIDES.
For instance, in choosing men
for the African offensive Gen.
Marshall had to make substantially
the same sort of decision Gen. Lee
had to make after the seven days.
Both had to pick subordinates who
most likely would stand up success
fully in the test of battle.
Lee picked Longstreet and Jack
son and relied primarily on them,
but he picked great many others
and seldom was disappointed in
them because he chose them with
out regard to politics or prestige or
anything except soldierly character
istics. He could do this with de-
tachment because he was unprej-
udiced.
ut is in this respect that Gen.
Lee has greatly influenced the
thinking of Gen. Marshall"
Recalling that Gen. Lee said
"Stonewall" jackson was the great
est executive officer the sun ever
shone upon, DR.. Freeman said our
Jackson hasn't developed yet, but I
believe there are men in the Army