Existing comment:
Leaders Matter ... Wilderness and Spotsylvania:
At the Wilderness in 1864, Lee met in battle a man who matched his determination and aggression: Ulysses S. Grant.
Union:
Unpretentious and uninspiring, Grant brought a brutal practicality to the command of all Union armies. At the Wilderness and Spotsylvania he imposed his will on Meade and other leaders in the Army of the Potomac. His simple philosophy: "to hammer continuously" against Lee until "there should be nothing left to him." The approach meant unprecedented casualties and an unrelenting pressure Lee could not reverse.
Confederate:
Lee's aggressive ways came with a price. By 1864 Lee had lost many of the men and subordinate commanders who had fulfilled his will on earlier battlefields. Jackson was dead, Longstreet fell horrifically wounded on May 6, 1864 at the Wilderness, and dozens of efficient lesser officers had died or left the service. But most importantly, in May 1864, Lee lost the initiative to a man determined never to give it up -- Grant. |