"Lee's problem, wrote the British military historian Sir Liddell Hart, was that he always went on the attack. A wiser course might have been to combine defensive strategy with defensive tactics, "to lure the Union armies into attacking under disadvantageous conditions." He was a general who "would rather lose the war than his dignity." Sure enough, he lost the war and preserved his dignity so well that he has gone down in history a martyr, our most overrated general."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Military leaders from the United StatesEpiscopalians from the United StatesUnited States Military Academy alumniPeople from VirginiaConfederate military leaders
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Seymour Morris Jr., American History Revised: 200 Startling Facts That Never Made It into the Textbooks (2010), p. 160
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (19 January 1807 – 12 October 1870) was an American soldier known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (and eventually all the armies of the Confederacy as general-in-chief) in the American Civil War from 1862 until his surrender to Ulysses S. Grant in 1865. The son of Revolutionary War officer Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III, Lee wa
98 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Robert E. Lee →
Related Quotes
"Madam, don't bring up your sons to detest the United States government. Recollect that we form one country now. Aband…"
"We must forgive our enemies. I can truly say that not a day has passed since the war began that I have not prayed for…"
"I cannot consent to place in the control of others one who cannot control himself."
"Sir, if you ever presume again to speak disrespectfully of General Grant in my presence, either you or I will sever h…"
"The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain adv…"
"I have fought against the people of the North because I believed they were seeking to wrest from the South its deares…"
"Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character."
"After it is all over, as stupid a fellow as I am can see that mistakes were made. I notice, however, that my mistakes…"
"Teach him he must deny himself."
"My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and b…"