Lee's leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg

Was He Outfought and Outthought?

Jan 25, 2009 Barry Vale

Contemporaries, historians, as well as military experts have debated General Lee's leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg as a possible cause of the Confederate defeat.

Lee forced the Union Forces into Fighting

General Lee’s leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg was in many respects no different from earlier battles of the American Civil War in which he had been the Confederate commander. General Lee positioned the Confederate army in such a way that the Union army had to fight them at Gettysburg. General Lee could possibly have deployed his soldiers differently in order to avoid fighting a battle at all.

Fighting Against The Odds

However General Lee’s leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg demonstrated that he was not a military commander that avoided battle just because their Union army enemies outnumbered his Confederate army. Gettysburg was no different from any other battle of the American Civil War as the Confederate army was nearly always outnumbered, especially as the war dragged on. In many respects there had come a point during the Civil War when the Union armies would make their superiority of numbers and weapons finally tell.

Lee – Outfought and Outthought

The Battle of Gettysburg lasted over three days, and turned out to be the most decisive military engagements of the entire American Civil War. Genera Lee’s leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg was regarded at the time as being less effective than the leadership of his Union army counterpart General George C. Meade.

After three days of very heavy fighting the Confederate army admitted defeat and left the field at Gettysburg, leaving behind 40 per cent of their comrades killed and wounded. The Union army suffered less, with 25 per cent of them killed and wounded yet won a victory that turned the American Civil War decisively in their favour. The Union forces were able to replace their losses whilst the confederate forces could not do so.

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