A Confederate General Criticizes Lee's Leadership at Gettysburg

hey all Ron here from military images Magazine with a new episode of life on the Civil War research Trail today I started a new research project about the Confederate officer pictured here a Vander M law his career as a general during the Civil War receives mixed reviews at Best by historians law was a native of South Carolina an 1856 graduate of the South Carolina Military Academy we know it today as the Citadel law was a young ambitious and talented when he graduated from The Citadel he went on to teach at the South Carolina's Kings mil Mountain Military Academy and then founded a military High School in Tuskegee Alabama all this before the War Began in 1861 he joined the Alabama State militia and then became an officer in the fourth Alabama infantry he was at the Battle of first bull run where he suffered a wound in the arm and afterwards became Lieutenant Colonel and then Colonel of the regiment he's best remembered most positively by historians for breaking through the center of the Union line at the Battle of Gaines Mill part of the Peninsula Campaign the seven days battles in June of 1862 making a successful assault with a fellow Brigadier is John Bell Hood a few months later at antium law fended off Union assaults in the cornfield that's the good on the flip side he's also remembered for feuding with General Micah Jenkins and running a foul of General James Long Street these failures to get along with senior leadership off the battle field definitely tarnished his reputation we'll set that aside and Flash Forward to Gettysburg there he commanded a brigade of alabamians in then Major General John B Hood's division Hood had been promoted ahead of him Hood suffered a wound on July 2nd and command devolved to law who was the most senior in rank behind Hood Laws pretty quiet about his War service at Gettysburg uh he doesn't leave behind an after action report he was getting adjusted I believe getting adjusted to the situation on the ground did not leave behind that many orders from other officers and their after action reports so he really has kind of um even though he's in a key part of the battlefield he doesn't leave behind a lot but that Chang changes in the 1880s 20 years after the war when he is invited to write an article telling his side of the story in the very well-known battles and leaders of the Civil War series which was published in the century magazine I know you students of the Civil War know about it it is really an amazing primary source record and I urge all of you who are interested in the war to read about it again as I mentioned published in the 1880s Law's story is called the struggle for Roundtop and so in his telling law describes how he sent couriers to scout out the area in his front and then he gets their reports and then reports his concerns about making a frontal attack to hood who is still in command law also offers Hood an option he says hey instead of going for the frontal let's move around to the right and attack that way in the article law then goes on to criticize Lee which is unusual public scolding of the revered General in command of the army of Northern Virginia I want to read the relevant passage to you to give you uh in his own words what law has to say about his objections his suggestion of a better way to attack uh ultimately little Roundtop and then the criticism of Lee about Gettysburg so here we go quote I found General hood on the ridge where his line had been formed communicated to him the information I had obtained and pointed out the ease with which a movement by the right flank might be made he Hood coincided fully in My Views but said that his orders were positive to attack in as soon as the left of the core should get into position I therefore entered a formal protest against a direct attack on the grounds one that the great natural strength of the enemy's position in our front rendered the result of a direct assault extremely uncertain two that even if successful the victory would be purchased at too great a sacrifice of life and our troops would be in no condition to improve it three that a front attack was unnecessary the occupation of Roundtop that's big Roundtop during the night by moving upon it from the south and the extension of our right wing from that point across the enemy's left and rear being not only practicable but easy four that such a movement would compel a change of front on the part of the enemy the abandonment of his strong position position on the Heights and force him to attack Us in position the story continues laws story continues General Hood called up Captain Hamilton of his staff and requested me to repeat the protest to him and the grounds on which it was made can imagine all this going down as the attack is getting ready to unfold we're still probably minutes maybe I don't know uh an hour or so away from the attack I can imagine and um little Roundtop is still generally sort of vacant at this moment So Hood calls a Hamilton asked him to make the request he then directed Captain Hamilton to find General long streets as quickly as possible and deliver the protest and to say to him that hood endorsed it fully Hamilton the aid rode off at once but in about 10 minutes returned accompanied by a staff officer of General Long Street who said to General Hood in my hearing General Long Street orders that you begin the attack at once Hood turned to me and merely said you hear the order I at once move my Brigade to the assault I do not know whether the protest ever reached General Lee from the brief interval that elapsed between the time it was sent to General Long Street and the receipt of the order to begin the attack I'm inclined to think it did not General Long Street has since said that he repeatedly advised against a front attack and suggested a movement by our right flank he may have thought after the rejection of this advice by General Lee that it was useless to press the matter further so there you go you have that passage I want to read a little bit more to you because now law has basically said hey I was against this but I did it anyway because orders are orders which is what a good soldier is going to do he set his peace he was overruled and now he's going in so here's law I want to read this other brief passage just to give you a sense of uh the the rest of the story from Law's perspective and then of course the criticism of lee law continues quote just here round tops the Battle of Gettysburg was lost to the Confederate arms it is useless to speculate upon the turn Affairs might have taken if the Confederate Cavalry had been in communication with the rest of the army and if General Stewart had kept generally informed as he should have done of the movements of the federal army this is an argument that you students of the Civil War have are very familiar with law continues in considering the causes of the Confederate failure on that particular field we must take the situation just as we find it and the situation was as follows the advance of the two armies encountered each other on the 1 of July an engagement ensued in which the Confederates were victorious the federal R troops retired fired through Gettysburg and took position along the height east of the Town a position which if properly defended was practicably impregnable to a direct attack the whole matter then resolves itself into this General Lee failed at Gettysburg on the 2 and third of July because he made his attack precisely where his enemy wanted him to make it and was most fully prepared to receive it even had he succeeded in driving the federal army from its strong position by a general and simultaneous assault along the whole front which was the only possible chance of success in that direction he would have found his army in very much the same condition in which Fus found his when after driving the Romans from the field of a asulam he exclaimed another such Victory and I am undone so there you have the passage from General Evander M laws essay in the battle battles and leader series of Roundtop what might have been his concerns it expressed about that frontal attack and his criticism of General Lee after the war thanks for listening we'll see you on the next episode of life on the Civil War research trial

Channel: Life on the Civil War Research Trail

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Length: 11min 5sec (665 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 01 2024