Edward H. Bonekemper III - How Robert E. Lee Lost the Civil War

How Robert E. Lee Lost The Civil War

How Robert E. Lee Lost the Civil War

By Edward H. Bonekemper, III

Sergeant Kirkland's Press Spotsylvania, Virginia

Copyright 1999 by Edward H. Bonekemper, III

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - All Rights reserved. No part of thisbook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronicor mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informationstorage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published & Distributed by

Sergeant Kirkland's Museum and Historical Society, Inc.

8 Yakama Trail Spotsylvania, Virginia 22553-2422 Tel. (540)582-6296; Fax: (540) 582-8312 E-mail:

www.kirklands.org

Manufactured in the USA

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanenceand durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity ofthe Council on Library Resources, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bonekemper, Edward H.

How Robert E. Lost the Civil War / by Edward H. Bonekemper,III p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-887901-33-7 (alk. paper)

1. Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870Militaryleadership. 2. GeneralsConfederate States of AmericaBiography. 3. Command oftroops. 4. StrategyHistory19lh century. 5. United StatesHistoryCivil War, 1861-1865Campaigns. I. Title.

E467.1.L4B655 1999

973.7'3'092dc21

[B] 97-18213

CIP

123456789 10

Cover design and page layout

by Ronald R. Seagrave.

Edited by Pia Seija Seagrave, Ph.D.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my loving and patient wife, Susan,and as a memorial to my fellow Civil War buff, Alfred W. Weidemoyer.

Table ofContents

Acknowledgements

During my seven years of work on this book,I have been encouraged, stimulated, challenged and assisted by a great manypeople. My wife, father-in-law, parents, co-workers and friends have patientlylistened to me excitedly describe each new idea and discovery as I read andthought about Lee and the Civil War. Without their support, this book would nothave been possible.

My wife tolerated my using my days off towrite this book instead of working around the house. A1 Weidemoyer, my latefather-in-law, and I shared over one hundred Civil War books and jointlyconcluded that Lee has been greatly overrated. I owe a special debt to mymother, Marie Bonekemper, who taught me to love reading even before I went toschool, and my father, Ed Bonekemper, who taught me the typesetting, printing,and newspaper businesses when I was in my early teens.

The Library of Congress staff was ashelpful to me as they have been to millions of other researchers and authors.Even more beneficial have been the critical reviews of my manuscript by asplendid and varied group of professionals and friends. Especially helpful werethe keen and thoughtful criticisms provided by Dr. Edwin Baldrige, formerchairman of the history department at Muhlenberg College, and Dr. HaroldWilson, chairman of the history department at Old Dominion University. EdBaldrige recently completed 40 years of inspired and humor-filled teaching, andHarold Wilson has always been a tough, but fair, critic of his students'writing.

Other indispensable reviewers were JimMacDonald, Mary Crouter and Steve Farbman. Jim's four Buckeyegreat-grandfathers all fought for the Union, and Jim brought to bear hisprofessionalism and Civil War expertise to improve my manuscript. Mary andSteve, my attorney colleagues, know what good writing is all about and helpedclarify my thinking and expression.

I also must acknowledge several otherreaders who provided valuable feedback: Dr. Virginia Litres, Jeffrey Baldino,Bill Holt, Ken Holt, Dore Hunter, and A1 Roberts. My boss, Judy Kaleta,graciously allowed me to adjust my work schedule to facilitate my writing thisbook. Historian and author Mac Wyckoff and Dr. William C. McDonald providedvital, thorough and critical reviews of my manuscript that significantlyimproved its quality.

Absolutely essential were the confidence,perseverance and skills of my publisher, Ronald R. Seagrave, and my editor, Dr.Pia Seagrave.

Lastly, vital to this book are permissionsto publish excerpts from the following publications:

From Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollectionsof General Edward Porter Alexander. Edited by Gary Gallagher. Copyright(c) 1989by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher.

From Fleming, Martin K., "The Northwestern Virginia Campaignof 1861: McClellan's Rising Star Lee's Dismal Debut," Blue & GrayMagazine, X, Issue 6 (Aug. 1993), 10, 62. Copyright^) 1993 by Blue & GrayMagazine. Used by permission of the publisher.

Although this book could not have beencompleted without the generous assistance of all these people and institutions,I am solely responsible for any errors that remain.

Preface Lee'sFatal Flaws

Robert E. Lee is often described as one ofthe greatest generals who ever lived. He usually is given credit for keepingvastly superior Union forces at bay and preserving the Confederacy during thefour years of the American Civil War (1861-65).

This book presents a contrary view, a sideof the coin infrequently seen. It relies upon previously-published sources butextracts from them a more critical analysis of Lee's Civil War performance. Itgoes beyond any of the earlier critics of Lee by describing all of Lee's strategicand tactical errors, analyzing their cumulative effect, emphasizing thenegative impact he had on Confederate prospects in both the East and the West,and squarely placing on him responsibility for defeat of the Confederates in awar they should have won. More attention is given to developments in the Westthan in most books about Lee because events there spelled the ultimatemilitary doom of Lee's army and because Lee himself played an often-overlookedrole in those events.

The cult of Lee worshippers began withformer Civil War generals who had fought ineffectively under him. They soughtto polish then- own tarnished reputations and restore southern pride bydeliberately distorting the historical record and creating the myth of theflawless Robert E. Lee.1