November Speaker Synopsis By Dan Fink
Lee and Grant - The Two Great Generals at Petersburg
Presenter, Dr. Dick Sommers, and his lovely wife, Tracy…what an unbeatable combination!
They travel together to spread extensive investigative results about the Civil War. (Dick, Tracy would be proud.) We fellow “Civil Warians” (his words), are both enlightened and enthralled by the clarity and believability of Dick’s observation.
We looked mostly at activity in 1864-65, encompassing the vicinity of Petersburg and Richmond. Pragmatically, Lee and Grant are two of the finest generals we have ever seen. Dick examines those qualities that make them great.
Grant stings like a bee but fights like a fox. He tends to always attack from the left in an attempt to flank his enemy. He is a great fan of Napoleon, but learns from his own mistakes and those of others which prevented him from having a “Waterloo.” His battlefield attacks become legendary but his list of clear victories is short. He is fighting a battle of attrition and logistics. Grant is always sensitive to the needs of his men. He stages a series of attacks designed to inflict maximum effect on his enemies while affecting his own men the least. He is willing to do the best he can with what he has—a strategist to the core.
Here we go again. Is Lee the better general?????? He is clearly a tactician. Lee is second in his West Point class and excellent at engineering challenges. He is both bold and decisive. As a calculating gambler, he knows when to hold and when to fold.
Dick says if you think Grant is sometimes a tactician, then Lee is head and shoulders above. He is known for not just holding firm, but is quick to attack. He becomes a master of the holding attack. Someone should have made it clear to him that an Army “travels on its stomach.” Virginia knew this and did something about it but finally just ran out of equipment, food and railroads.
The Wilmington and Weldon RR was “willing but slow” and became a target for Grant. Lee is never good as a strategist. He said from the start he would never turn his back on Virginia. Lincoln preserving this union was first. Lee chose Virginia and nothing else.
Both Lee and Grant were fighters and the latter knows that Richmond is his enemy, not Washington. His greatest enemy is Lee.
Ya just had to be there to hear how Lincoln answered Grant’s humble request for another 300,000 men.
The Army of the Potomac continues to grow, standing strong at Petersburg. The Army of Northern Virginia can field no more than 20,000 battle weary men to fight. Grant, the strategist, was able to do what the Army of Northern Virginia could not — win the war.
Dick leaves us with a warm and wonderful vision — his cufflinks. One shows the Stars and Bars while the other shows the Confederate Battle Flag. Together we are a proud and wonderful nation!!! Dick and Tracy, please come back again and again…and keep up the great detective work!