As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Much is always heaped upon Abraham Lincoln in how wonderful, sound, great and all seeing he was as President, but all of this is from a cadre of necromancy like that for John Kennedy in just because a leader's brains leak out, then all he excremented upon the world is national treasure.
As an example in this, in 1864, General Grant took command of the Army of the Potomac, but never was in "full command" of the entire Army. His focus was the destruction of General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the capture of Richmond, the Confederate Capital.
He was quite successful in moving Lee and Lee made mistakes at a critical juncture, which exposes the Ken Burns lies of his history of the Civil War in "Lee never met a General who could beat him".
The reality is that in the Petersburg Campaign, General Grant allowing first the attack by General Sheridan on the Confederate Cavalry in routing it, brought about Petersberg, where in a feint, General Sheridan drove in and took Cold Harbor with his Cavalry, which Lee had moved all of his forces to contend with as he thought this is where Grant was, and Grant was not.
Peterburg though went into stalemate, and in this an enterprizing General Jubal Early drove out of the Shenandoah, the sparce Union forces from West Virginia and began threatening Washington DC.
Grant knew it was simply a fient to draw him off from Petersburg, but the politicians started lamenting again, so Grant sent in General Wright who drove Early off.
Wright was withdrawn to Petersburg again, and with that Early seeing only a small force commanded by General Crook, recrossed the Potomac and drove Crook back.
General Crook is another one of those lauded commanders who accomplished little and for the most part wasted men and resources in not being up to any command against Confederate or Indian.
General Crook was the commander who abandoned the field, leaving General Custer and his command to be slaughtered by "DC assassination" at the Little Big Horn.
It was Crook's command which stampeded in flight in the much later counter attack in the Shenandoah when General Longstreet appeared to assist General Early. [Crook met me (Sheridan) at this time, and strongly favored my idea of attacking, but said, however, that most of his troops were gone.]
Crook could not master his own troops even after victories attained for him by Sheridan's leadership.
In the reader knowing this situation, General Grant sent to Washington various propositions to remedy the situation, one of which was to place under one command the four command centers around Washington DC.
To this President Abraham Lincoln and Sec. of War Stanton, would not comply nor agree.
Fully comprehend this political incompetance in a state of war, in being more concerned about political considerations than in prosecuting a war to end the war.
"The President and Secretary Stanton seemed unwilling to adopt his suggestions, and one measure which he deemed very important— the consolidation into a single command of the four geographical districts into which, to relieve political pressure no doubt, the territory had been divided—met with serious opposition. Despite Grant's representations, he could not prevail on the Administration to approve this measure, but finally the manoeuvres of Early and the raid to Chambersburg compelled a partial compliance, though Grant had somewhat circumvented the difficulty already by deciding to appoint a commander for the forces in the field that were to operate against Early."
Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army
That is the reality of this situation the weakness of Abraham Lincoln and his lack of ability. I have stated that the promotion of Abraham Lincoln by European cartel instigation is what started the Civil War as it was a direct attack upon American States and property.
Lincoln I have evidenced in most of the war, was dealing with traitors and sympathizers loyal to State's Rights or were loyal to General Lee in not an order could be sent to a Union commander, without it first appearing in Confederate headquarters first.
This is another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter, in while General Lee was facing incompetent leadership which Lincoln chose, he was facing commanders who were sympathetic to him, but was also not such a clarvoyant in battle, but he had spies and intelligence which were assisting in his preparations upon the Union.
Anyone could win battles if they knew the enemies battle plan. That is what changed with General Grant in Lee made mistakes, because Grant was demonstrating feints and Lee had no idea they were feints.
The South had better leadership, insider information and Union commanders who were loyal to Robert E. Lee, that was the secret of the Confederate victories.
General Grant as you note circumvented Abraham Lincoln, the President, but appointing his own commander who was loyal to the Union, in General Philip Sheridan for the epic Battle of the Shenandoah.
Here is this gem from Abraham Lincoln directly to General Sheridan, who had proven himself in battle heading a division in the Army of the Cumberland and leading the Union Cavalry in the destruction of General Jeb Stuart:
"In company with the Secretary of War I called on the President before leaving Washington, and during a short conversation Mr. Lincoln candidly told me that Mr. Stanton had objected to my assignment to General Hunter's command, because he thought me too young, and that he himself had concurred with the Secretary; but now, since General Grant had "ploughed round" the difficulties of the situation by picking me out to command the "boys in the field," he felt satisfied with what had been done, and "hoped for the best."
Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army
This interview with Abraham Lincoln was coupled with the President summoning General Grant from the theater before Robert E. Lee, as Mr. Lincoln was upset about the "confusion, disorder and helplessness in the upper Potomac".
So General Grant was at Monacacy Junction with the General of the Army, General Halleck, and this was where Philip Sheridan was to report to for his command.
It requires pointing out in the above evidence, that the reason the Shenandoah was in the situation it was, was because of political incompetence of Abraham Lincoln in not following the necessary actions which General Grant appealed for.
It would be General Hunter, the commander of the "four departments" of Middle Department, the Department of Washington, the Department of the Susquehanna, and the Department of West Virginia, who noting that General of the Army, General Halleck, did not have confidence in him, offered to resign, not over General Sheridan's operation, but he did not desire to be a wasted space between Sheridan and Grant.
It was General Hunter who then forced the single command under General Sheridan, which was then directly commanded by General Grant, as Lincoln then issued the order for this change. That is not leadership by Abraham Lincoln and exposes his gross incompetence. One can look at political needs, but there was far too much of this and been the cause of the greater part of the failures which originated at source from Abraham Lincoln.
The battle plan which General Grant set forth was simple. General Sheridan was not to torch buildings so much, but to inform the farmers and merchants that as long as succour could be had from them, that raids would be expected, and that those stores would be neutralized.
General Sheridan was to find General Early and either drive him up the Shenandoah or to get in his rear and destroy Early, ending this once and for all.
The Shenandoah is a simple valley in it looks from the air like a human torso with two legs. The roads were good on the eastern Blue Ridge and the Confederates controlled them, and any Union troops marching through the many gaps, would find the Confederates arriving in trains, and outflanking them for success from the start of the war.
It is a land of level ground open to widths of 75 miles and constrictions of 25 miles. It was the succour of the Confederate Army of Virginia.
The Confederates comprised mostly the men of General Stonewall Jackson who had constant success here, and one of the secrets of Stonewall Jackson was that he had 'two legged cavalry" or infantry which could move fast.
It was not that his infantry was "faster", it was that the Shenandoah was one huge open road with no rivers or cuts to impede movements, so General Jackson with a small force could out flank a Union force which was larger and simply roll it up.
I take nothing from General Jackson's blitzkrieg abilities in warfare, but like all these legends of invincibility, there is a reason behind them. General Jackson simply utilized country better to his advantage against lacking Union commanders.
Things changed completely when a competent General in Philip Sheridan was assigned the duty to end Confederate use of the Shenandoah.
Sheridan faced more politics as his army of 26,000 men was not really his, as each politician wanted his own areas protected, so this depleted his army which was facing the capable Jubal Early, whose orders from Lee were to withdraw before the Union military in protecting Richmond.
Early played effective chess with Sheridan, but Sheridan maneuvered in the time for when he would throw his forces to the right flank of the Confederate and thereby force a battle. Just as with General Stuart, General Sheridan meant to destroy General Early's command.
This quote again is most telling as Jubal Early was informed of General Sheridan's movements:
"The sequel proved, however, that he was accurately informed of all my movements."
Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army
General Sheridan would overcome these events with his own Scouts, and under pressure "not to lose a battle as Stanton harped at him as a Presidential election was coming up", he bided his time and at the correct moment struck the army of Jubal Early at Winchester.
This was one example of the defects of the Lincoln Administration and reveals idiocy and not wisdom. If the Shenandoah was such of vital importance, then perhaps twenty thousand more troops should have been conscripted to simply worry General Lee from the greatest succour of resources his army was being sustained by, especially if the Presidential elections depended upon what "that young Sheridan" was burdened with.
I in not in any way will to make light of the challenges which President Lincoln faced, but he was far from a genius. He squandered early patriotism, he did not take into account Southern States Rights Sympathy or the loyalty which the Army had for General Lee over a man from Illinois, to finally surviving long enough to have sifted out Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan to pound out a victory.
Abraham Lincoln poses more in the dim light of James Madison in his failures in the War of 1812 which almost ended the United States too, but was saved by the American Navy and General Andrew Jackson.
Just because someone has a lead ball in the brain, and sympathy over it desires to rise them up to a fitting epitaph does not mean the inexcusable failures are washed away by the blood shed by an assassin.
This ends this segment in the examination of the fiction of Abraham Lincoln.
"EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT "WASHINGTON, Sep. 20, 1864
"MAJOR-GENERAL SHERMAN "WINCHESTER, VA.
"Have just heard of your geat victory. God bless you all, officers and men. Strongly inclined to come up and see you.
"A. LINCOLN."
Personal Memoirs of P. H. Sheridan, General, United States Army
agtG
