Ulysses S. Grant Was (Mostly) Responsible For Winning the Civil War. Robert E. Lee Was Responsible For Losing It.

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged

Society & Culture, History

4.2 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2018

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ever since the end of the Civil War, a mythology of Robert E. Lee's military genius was developed by Confederate veterans as a way to support the idea that the South was defeated only because of the Union's overwhelming advantages in men and resources. Known as the “Lost Cause” interpretation of the Civil War, it provided a sense of relief to white Southerners who feared being dishonored by defeat.

In this episode, I explore the research of the late Civil War historian Edward Bonekemper, who wrote many books challenging this thesis. He argues that Grant—far from being a bloodthirsty drunk who won by brute force alone—was the most successful Union or Confederate general of the war. Grant won the war by excelling in three theaters. He fought six Confederate armies, defeated all of them, and captured three of them. He succeeded for two years in the West with amazingly minimal casualties—particularly when compared with those of his foes. He conquered the Mississippi Valley and chased the Confederates out of Chattanooga and Tennessee.

Lee, in contrast, has been praised for his offensives against the Union Army of the Potomac, he was carrying out an aggressive strategy with aggressive tactics that were inconsistent with what should have been a Confederate grand defensive strategy. The Union, not the Confederacy, had the burden of winning the war, and the South, outnumbered about four-to-one in white men of fighting age, had a severe manpower shortage. Nevertheless, Lee acted as though he were a Union general and attacked again and again as though his side had the burden of winning and also had an unlimited supply of soldiers.

Transcript

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0:00.0	They were some of the most powerful men who've ever lived. They waged war, forged peace,
0:04.6	and altered the fates of billions of people, and yet they were just as human, just as flawed as you
0:09.9	and me. They were the presidents of the United States, and they are the subjects of the history
0:14.3	podcast, this American president. In each episode of this American president, we explore how flawed
0:20.0	men have managed this awesome responsibility. To listen now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search
0:26.8	this American president on your favorite podcast platform. The history of the Popes of Rome
0:31.6	and Christianity reaches into nearly every aspect of history. In the history of the
0:37.2	papacy podcast, we step over the rope. We dive into discover more about the people events and
0:43.5	background that define the influence of the Popes of Rome and church not only on the west,
0:49.1	but the world. To start listening now, go to pathanonpodcast.com or search for
0:55.7	history of the papacy on your favorite podcast platform. Welcome to the history unplugged podcast.
1:05.8	The unscripted show that celebrates unsung heroes, myth busts historical lies,
1:11.5	and rediscoveres the forgotten stories that changed our world. I'm your host, Scott Rank.
1:18.5	This episode is dedicated to Edward Bonnekempere. Edward was a civil war historian and a very
1:30.8	prolific writer. In December, I was going to interview him about his book Grant and Lee,
1:36.1	Victorious American and Vanquish Virginian. Unfortunately, Edward passed away right before then.
1:41.6	So I'd like to spend this episode going over his research on that particular book.
1:47.1	Like I said, Edward was prolific. But at the end of last year, he already had 25 events scheduled
1:52.8	for 2018 to speak to various groups on aspects of the civil war. And what he was trained to do with
1:59.7	his research on the civil war was to demythologize it. The civil war, for better or worse,
2:05.0	has taken on a legendary character in America. In the South, there's a romantic idea that
2:10.2	Robert E. Lee was a military genius, and there are romantic shades of gone with the wind,
	...

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