What bad things did Robert E. Lee do?

Answer 1

By turning down a senior position in the Union army, of which he would probably have become General-in-Chief in a few months.

Even though he disapproved of secession, he felt he should go with his state (Virginia), and so he resigned from the US Army to join the Confederates.

His string of victories in summer 1862 brought England and France close to granting recognition to the Confederacy and sending military aid, but his momentum was checked by the unexpected defeat at Antietam. Two more spectacular wins followed, but the second one cost him his most brilliant lieutenant Stonewall Jackson, and his health also started to fail at this time. Defeat at Gettysburg (sometimes called the Confederate High Watermark) ended his glory days, and he was on the defensive from that point onwards until he surrendered to U.S. Grant at Appomattox.

He had been appointed to the newly-created post of General-in-Chief of the Confederates at the end of January 1865, too late to make any difference.

He remains the embodiment of the Lost Cause - a popular but largely-mythical legend of courage, honour and noble leadership.

Answer 2

he was bad in war because he was often drunk while fighting the battles so that made an influence on the desicions he made and some of them werent very smart and so that contributed to them losing battles.

Answer 3

As an army commander, he favoured quick, bold thrusts, which reflected the Confederate spirit (though these were usually carried out by Stonewall Jackson, whose death greatly diminished Lee's capability.)

At the peak of his success, in summer 1862, he gave the Confederacy so much credibility that Britain came close to recognising it as a new nation.

Perhaps more than any other Civil War General, he also possessed the quality of human greatness, and he inspired intense loyalty right to the end, when his men were barefoot and starving.

Answer 4

From a military point of view the "bad" things Lee did were:

1 - Infantry. Lee didn't fully understand the overwhelming power of rifled weapons firing behind a well chosen and entrenched defensive position against a massive infantry assault. That led him to be defeated or suffer setbacks in several battles or encounters, like Malvern Hill and Gettysburg. Indeed it is worth remembering that he shared this shortcoming with the great majority of the Civil War generals as well as even with the European generals who fought the later conflicts throughout the world including the WW1, seeking to solve everything by means of frontal bayonet attacks.

2 - Artillery. Until 1863 , the Confederate leader had clearly preferred the smooth pieces, especially the gun of 6', more manageable and better suited to be brought to minimum distance from the enemy, irrespective of the fact that the use of artillery carried at close range was becoming increasingly costly in terms of men and guns, because of the long range and major accuracy of rifled muskets and rifled cannons of the enemy.

3 - During the Gettysburg Campaign he sent the bulk of his cavalry force to carry on a mission of secondary importance, depriving his army of that indispensable

means for collecting information about the enemy movements, locations and forces, when the battle broke out.

4 - Gettysburg.Longstreet told Lee on July 1, that it was preferable to disengage, march the Army south, and fight a defensive battle elsewhere in the Pennsylvania countryside. He reiterated his opinion when, on July 2, Lee ordered to attack the Union left, motivating that the Federals were entrenching to wait of being attacking as they wanted to be attacked. He was alluding to the convention of military wisdom stating that a general should not do what the enemy wanted.

Lee refused to take into consideration the suggestion commenting: "They are in position, and I am going to whip them or they are going to whip me".

On July 3, Lee decided to order the great charge against the center of Union line, despite the contrary opinion expressed by Longstreet.

Answer 5

Sex