DBWI AHC: Lee seen as a good general

Is there a way to salvage Lee's reputation. I know this is tough, he got whipped in West Virginia, failed in the Carolinas and failed in the Peninsula Campaign. He had a good reputation before the war. Is there a way he can look like less of a colossal screw up?
 
Make the other generals less competent prehaps so Lee aren't the only one the seemingly goes from massive error, to surprising luck on the unionist side, to lethal miscommunication within his ranks. Maybe you could even push it to the degree that CSA collapsed doing the war instead of to internal 'rebellion' (later shown to be payrolled by some of the large wealthy unionists), doing the drawnout armistice / Treaty discussion where they tried getting to a status quo ante bellum with the Confederationists reintegrating with the Unionists.
 
If during the Peninsular Campaign, Jackson hadn't been tied down in the Shenandoah Valley by the brilliant general Nathaniel P. Banks (who would have though that the Governor of Massachusetts would become such a good general?), then Lee would had a fighting chance in the Peninsula. Even so it was a shame that James Longstreet had been killed during the Battle of Williamsburg, losing such a promising commander was an heavy blow to the Confederacy.
 
Almost impossible if he is still fighting the ACW as we recognize it. Even if he gets lucky I doubt anyone would have all that much respect for a Confederate General.
 
If during the Peninsular Campaign, Jackson hadn't been tied down in the Shenandoah Valley by the brilliant general Nathaniel P. Banks (who would have though that the Governor of Massachusetts would become such a good general?), then Lee would had a fighting chance in the Peninsula. Even so it was a shame that James Longstreet had been killed during the Battle of Williamsburg, losing such a promising commander was an heavy blow to the Confederacy.

True, Jackson clearly didn't expect Banks to have a spy in his ranks telling Banks everything he needed to know. If Jackson wasn't such an SOB that he ignored morale problems in his own ranks due to his harshness than maybe he wouldn't have been sold out. Banks deserves credit for realizing private Samuel Cotton (A name I made up) was genuine in his antipathy towards Jackson. The man could read people .
 
True, Jackson clearly didn't expect Banks to have a spy in his ranks telling Banks everything he needed to know. If Jackson wasn't such an SOB that he ignored morale problems in his own ranks due to his harshness than maybe he wouldn't have been sold out. Banks deserves credit for realizing private Samuel Cotton (A name I made up) was genuine in his antipathy towards Jackson. The man could read people .

So true, Jackson was a great general but is complete lack of tact was his greatest weakness, the men hated him from what i could find out. I read, some time ago, that Davis thought of sending Jackson to the Western Theater to replace Joseph E. Johnston. Now i know that Johnston wasn't the best of generals, allowing himself to be besieged in Corinth was stupid to say the least, and his decision weren't always the best, removing Beauregard for attacking when he had received orders to retreat, ignoring that was only thanks to that attack that the CSA was to repulse the union at Shiloh (he probably wanted to receive the glory all to himself), was stupid, but despite his bad judgment, he managed to keep the loyalty of his soldiers and he still managed to achieve some good things. The victory of the confederacy at the Battle of Fort Donelson, against that upstart general, what was his name Grant something, was all thanks to him. Only thing that Lee made was reinstating Beauregard to replace Longstreet.

On a more serious note, image the eastern theater without Beauregard saving the Confederacy from Lee's mistakes, the Peninsula Campaign didn't ended the war thanks to that man.
 
So true, Jackson was a great general but is complete lack of tact was his greatest weakness, the men hated him from what i could find out. I read, some time ago, that Davis thought of sending Jackson to the Western Theater to replace Joseph E. Johnston. Now i know that Johnston wasn't the best of generals, allowing himself to be besieged in Corinth was stupid to say the least, and his decision weren't always the best, removing Beauregard for attacking when he had received orders to retreat, ignoring that was only thanks to that attack that the CSA was to repulse the union at Shiloh (he probably wanted to receive the glory all to himself), was stupid, but despite his bad judgment, he managed to keep the loyalty of his soldiers and he still managed to achieve some good things. The victory of the confederacy at the Battle of Fort Donelson, against that upstart general, what was his name Grant something, was all thanks to him. Only thing that Lee made was reinstating Beauregard to replace Longstreet.

On a more serious note, image the eastern theater without Beauregard saving the Confederacy from Lee's mistakes, the Peninsula Campaign didn't ended the war thanks to that man.


For one thing what seems to have drove Private Cotton to selling out Jackson was the fact that he got a letter that his wife was dying and Jackson refused to give him a furlough. He never forgave Jackson for not allowing to see his wife in her last few days.

To be fair to Grant it was not his fault that that Halleck kept giving him contradictory orders. Grant would start doing something and then suddenly gets another order from Halleck to do the almost exact opposite of what Halleck told him to do in the previous message. OOC: I'm sorry I have a problem picturing Beauregard beating Grant.

It ended six months later however. when Sherman replaced Halleck and things went downhill thereafter. To be honest it could well be all the reinforcements Beauregard had to send east to try and salvage the situation that did it. In any case General Hill's surrender to Fitzjohn Porter in Atlanta ended the CSA which happened 2 months after Sherman accepted Beauregard's surrender just outside Jackson, MI .
 
Have Lee deal with his alcohalism, the man was brave and smart but what destroyed him was the drink, either have him limit his intake or do away with it all together.
 
Have Lee deal with his alcohalism, the man was brave and smart but what destroyed him was the drink, either have him limit his intake or do away with it all together.

The alcoholism seems to have started after the war. There is no indication that he was one before or during it. The humiliation he suffered after the war seems to have drove him to drink.

That aside can you picture him going up against Little Mac? True, Fitzjohn Porter did very well after Mac went down but Mac was even better by all accounts. He made the army that General Porter used. Of course his death inspired Union troops so who knows?
 
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