General J. E. B. Stuart, charged with tracking the union armies with his cavalry, somehow got lost for some days and didn't accomplish his task. The south had to fight, therefore, without their usual knowledge of the enemy's positions and strength. 
Then another general failed to obey orders given him to take a small hill which would have given Lee the advantage of position.This failure meant that the war was over thanks to this general.
Eventually the union army took over that hill and defeated the southern soldiers who tried to take it from them. After this, ammunition and supplies were very low. Lee's troops had to either fight or retreat. Lee saw a retreat as a betrayal of the brave men who had given their lives to get this far, and his past victories gave him the confidence that his men could win another battle, even against substantial odds. With the aforementioned mystical faith, Lee sent his troops on a suicidal march for a mile across an open field in the face of union guns. The defeat was
devastating, and Lee was humiliated, but hoped to fight another day.We get the impression that some of their problems are caused by an inordinate faith in God, or at least a proud confidence that God was on their side.
No comments:
Post a Comment