Is the traditional view of Lee as the greatest general of the Civil War despite his defeat a justified one?

Answer 1

This will always be a matter of opinion.

The consensus is that the Lee-Jackson partnership was uniquely successful, but that after Jackson's death, neither Lee nor his army was ever the same again, partly because Lee's health began to fail just at that time (maybe psychosomatic).

It is significant that both Grant and Sherman rated Joe Johnston higher than Lee. There was also the other Johnston (Sidney) killed early on, whom some considered the best General in America.

Then again, there was the best army commander the South never had - Bedford Forrest, whom Davis refused to promote because he was not a gentleman (which Davis later confessed was his biggest mistake). They said he understood the battlefield as Blind Tom understood the piano-keys.

Finally, there is the argument over what is 'great'. It can mean outstandingly successful (Grant, Sherman, Thomas), or it can mean possessing the quality of human greatness (Lee, McPherson, A.P. Hill).