Lee's gamble
Never pays off
By the end of this day in 1863 a lot of Robert E. Lee’s Virginia soldiers would be dead or wounded in a large field just southwest of Gettysburg. Lee had conceived and ordered the grand attack that would go down in history as Pickett’s Charge…probably the worst single order Lee gave in his military career.
It was a day where the gods of war, the dogs of war and the drums of war were not with him.
I have documented the re-enactments of that event twice during my career…and it’s still hard for me to believe that human beings actually did that for real. That there was so much anger and animosity between American’s that it came to that. With 15,000 troops marching across an open field straight at US Army soldiers behind stone walls with plenty of ammunition.
The 135th Anniversary re-enactment was considered “full scale” with 15,000 rebels stepping out like it was a parade after a long artillery barrage.
We had cameras imbedded on both sides and I was operating the camera at the “50 yard line” vantage point on top of our rental truck, that we used for equipment. There were about 50,000 spectators in bleachers and standing around the field to view the spectacle.
This is what it looked like from my vantage point as the rebels attacked the angle and the copse of trees that was their target.
From these recreated experiences, I think that I have a pretty good concept of what the reality looked like and felt like. While Pickett’s Charge has been re-enacted many times, this was the largest. The sight of so many bodies on the ground was pretty stunning, even if it was just a show.
Is there any wisdom that I’ve gained from having done this? Any thoughts or advice that I can pass on ? I’m pondering that as I write this.
Lee’s Corps Commander James Longstreet, really did not like this plan and he lobbied hard for Lee to reconsider. George Pickett would blame Lee for the destruction of his Division for the rest of his life. Lee himself would send Jeff Davis a letter of resignation for his failure that Davis would not accept.
Yet today Lee is still the most famous soldier who was at Gettysburg. He is a hero to many, who buy and wear t-shirts with his image on them. He sits atop the Virginia Monument on that field of battle, looking like the victor, not the loser. There’s lots of merchandise in the stores around town with the Confederate Battle Flag on them.
But his army never wins this battle…for real, or as a re-enactment. His winning days were over. The magic never came back. He would eventually surrender almost 2 years later. He failed to preserve slavery for the rich planters of the south and would go off to run a college and die quietly.
So the question is, why is he still so popular ? What’s the allure of Bobby Lee ? It seems to me that he’s not the hero of the American story, he’s one of the villains. He resigned his US Army commission to become an officer for the army in rebellion. He was not defending freedom, quite the contrary.
I guess that my thought is that it’s way past time that we understand who the real hero’s are and while we need to remember who Lee was and what he did, it’s time to stop honoring him as some kind of American hero.
Thank you Mike. First, thanks again for recommending "Killer Angels". Remarkable dynamics between Lee and Longstreet. Compelling book. I look forward to reading his son's work.
I have often wondered why Lee had been reconstructed as a hero by so many people who call themselves "patriots". Lee may have been a mostly brilliant tactician (until he wasn't) and an "honorable" southern gentleman. But he was, along with every Confederate soldier, a traitor and a defender of a culture of brutality and murder. I hear echoes....
The fact that so many in the South still honor him and "the cause" gives us some clues as to why this nation is backsliding into blatant racism and hate for the "other". I put Robert Lee in the same category as Benedict Arnold.
The fact that the South was NEVER held accountable for a wretched war and the murders of countless African Americans is a disgrace and a huge mistake. Plantation owners should have been tried as criminals. We can thank Andrew Johnson, among others.
I'd make the case that the South should have been indefinitely occupied by Federal Forces. For generations, if necessary, to firmly establish equity for the poor - Black and White. Plantations should have been rebuilt to treat workers fairly. The "Planters Elite" removed from power. Bigotry made a "high crime".
We did the same thing we have frequently done. Invaded, won a few bloody battles, then left. The cruelty resumed. The slaves were still slaves - if not legally. All that Lincoln promised was lost. Black land stolen, owners lynched. Citizen rights (like voting) denied. Etc.
We should have finished the job or maybe never started it. If the South had left the Union successfully, would slavery have lasted long? I don't know. But the battle scene you described makes me wonder. Was it worth it?