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JerryRM

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Lee's strength was fighting a defensive battle and counterpunching. Both of his offensive incursions into the north didn't end well (Sharpsburg, Gettysburg).
Lee was a brilliant leader, PI, but he couldn't match the north's manpower or equipment. Still, though, the Southern troops fought brilliantly, throughout the war. He made a big mistake at Gettysburg in overestimating his soldiers capabilities.

He showed that, when he sent infantry over open ground to attack entrenched Northern troops and artillery. The outcome was obvious, but he didn't see it.
 
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PoliticallyIncorrect

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Oh, he was a great leader—no question about it. Easily the best tactical mind of any general in the war, far and away. All I'm saying is that he had the advantage of playing defense in an era when armies were still using tin-soldier, Napoleonic offensive tactics when they'd begun to become obsolete by the weaponry at hand.
 

Pokeygizmo

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Yeah, especially since I forgot all that stuff about the Battle of Gettysburg right after the test :lol:

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JerryRM

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Exactly, PI. Rifled muskets and artillery pieces rendered those tactics obsolete. Those same Napoleonic offensive tactics were still being used in WWI, with even more disastrous results.

I think that he was aware that the north would grind his armies down in a protracted war and that his best path to victory was to bring the war to the north.
 

PoliticallyIncorrect

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Exactly, PI. Rifled muskets and artillery pieces rendered those tactics obsolete. Those same Napoleonic offensive tactics were still being used in WWI, with even more disastrous results.

I think that he was aware that the north would grind his armies down in a protracted war and that his best path to victory was to bring the war to the north.

Perhaps that, but he spoke of a feeling of invincibility—not himself, but the Army of Northern Virginia. He could be forgiven that, because nearly all the Northern generals were incompetent in one way or another. And he must have decided his army was invincible, to decide that sending Pickett across thousands of yards of open ground, naked against artillery and into the teeth of prepared breastworks was a good idea.
 
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