Existing comment:
Leading Matters ... Chancellorsville:
Few places demonstrate the importance of leadership more than the battlefields around Fredericksburg, especially Chancellorsville.
Lee and Jackson:
Robert E. Lee was the more modern manager, "Stonewall" Jackson the autocrat. But each possessed imagination and the courage to take risks. Most importantly, Lee had total faith in Jackson, and Jackson repaid Lee's trust with a determination to deliver success no matter the cost or effort. Jackson's death following Chancellorsville ended one of the greatest military collaborations in history.
Hooker:
Joseph Hooker was a man of brash declarations and political intrigue. He inspired little of the fierce loyalty that Lee enjoyed, though his care for the army in winter quarters raised hopes among the men. At lower rank, Hooker had been almost recklessly aggressive. But once on the field at Chancellorsville, his aggressive instincts vanished. He yielded the initiative to Lee, who in turn inflicted on his a humiliating defeat. |