What a disappointing loss for Army this past weekend. What was supposed to be a blowout game against the Navy turned into a beatdown in the first half that the Army could not return from. More upsetting is that their bowl game is with LA Tech, who is currently 4-7. Their original plan to play Marshall was upended when all their players entered the transfer portal. My grandfather would be happy seeing Navy win because he was a corpsman in the Navy. The Chiefs won again this past week, making them the only 13-1 team in the league. However, a good friend mentioned that they are probably the worst 13-1 team that ever existed.
This week is not about me spewing on some historical subject; it is a question. Robert E. Lee is known for his renowned battlefield decision-making. He won impressive battles while outnumbered, sometimes 2:1. In some battles, he ordered mass assaults against strong Union lines. In some battles like Gettysburg, they failed. In others, like Gaines’ Mill, they succeeded. The significance of these outcomes cannot be overstated. At Gaines’ Mill, it was a brilliant breakthrough, but what was the cost of that breakthrough? At Gettysburg, most historians, like Earl Hess, conclude that the assault Lee made on enemy lines was justified, but it just did not work. In Pickett’s Charge, Lee lost roughly 9000 soldiers, making it a disaster for the Confederate army. However, it was only one assault. Ironically, George Picket led another frontal assault at Gaines’ Mill but was wounded in the attack and was easily repulsed. At the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, Lee lost roughly 8,000 throughout the entire battle through multiple charges against Union works. It was not until John B. Hood led his division and broke the Union line.
Should Lee have relentlessly launched multiple assaults to break the Union line at Gaines’ Mill? Would it have been possible for Lee to lose fewer men than he did in the battle? These questions highlight the uncertainty of Lee's decisions. Did Lee see the Union line waiver or succumb to attrition? I am not an expert and would welcome any book recommendations. What did the Confederate soldiers' morale look like following the breakthrough despite it being a Confederate victory? Moxley Sorrel questioned Lee’s decision to attack Malvern Hill, but had they not broken through at Gaines’ Mill, would Sorrel question the same tactics?
Multiple attacks took place over the Union line beginning in the early afternoon of 27 June 1862. For roughly five hours, the Confederates assailed the Union line with terrible casualties as some of the officers fell wounded or dead during the battle. The human cost of this battle was staggering. Eventually, the full weight of 32,000 rebels broke through in a couple places, forcing a Union retreat. It was Lee’s first victory of the war, but the cost of it was high. Lee did possess the initiative, but sloppy coordination prevented earlier success. Furthermore, these attacks would be Lee’s signature throughout the rest of the war until the summer of 1864. The question remains, how should Lee have fought this battle differently to avoid such terrible casualties?
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