They [Neo-Confederates] will continue to revere Robert E. Lee as the greatest general of the Civil War—perhaps the greatest general in American history. But they probably will not appreciate Lee’s role in the greatest irony of the Civil War—one that goes a long way toward explaining the evolution of Union military policy into Mark Grimsley’s "hard war". When Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862, the Confederacy was on the verge of defeat. Union conquests in the West had brought more than 50,000 square miles of Confederate territory under Northern control and had caused profound discouragement in the South. General George B. McClellan’s large Army of the Potomac had approached to within six miles of Richmond. The Confederate government had packed its archives and treasury on trains to evacuate the capital. If the war had brought an end to the Confederacy in the summer of 1862, slavery and the antebellum Southern social order would have remained largely intact and the Southern infrastructure relatively undamaged. But Lee’s counteroffensive in the Seven Days battles and other major victories during the next year ensured a prolongation of the war, opening the way to the emergence of Grant and Sherman to top Union commands, the abolition of slavery, the “directed severity” of Union policy in 1864–65, and the Götterdämmerung of the Old South. Here was the irony of Robert E. Lee: His success produced the destruction of everything he fought for.
— James McPherson, The Mighty Scourge
"[General Stearns is] the best organizer you'll ever meet and—this is rare as hens' teeth, in your circles—he actually gives a damn about his soldiers. And I'm not talking about the way a good noble general will respect and appreciate his soldiers' valor and morale either. I'm talking about socks.
Socks. And boots. All that sort of mundane and unromantic stuff. Do you know what the disease rate is in Third division? The Third Division has better health than any other division in the USE army. And the USE has better health than any other army in the world. Do you know how fast the Third Division can march? Faster than any other division in the USE army. A lot faster, in fact. Everyone else, our own people as much as the enemy, keeps being surprised at how soon we show up somewhere. And do you know why?
Because the men always have good boots. All the men always have good boots, with plenty of spares. Socks too. The horses are always shod. All the horses always get shod, whenever they need it. The wagon wheels are always in good shape, and there are plenty of spares if something breaks. A wheel breaks, it gets fixed right then and there. Same for an axle.
The point is this, Mr. Hussar-who-isn't. You have no idea what a military force is capable of, when it's organized. The general won't even try to match Baner, maneuvering on an open field. That's why he launched his campaign in the middle of February. What general in his right mind wants to fight in the teeth of winter? I'll tell you: a general who knows that his enemy has more experience but his soldiers don't have boots that are worth shit."
Socks. And boots. All that sort of mundane and unromantic stuff. Do you know what the disease rate is in Third division? The Third Division has better health than any other division in the USE army. And the USE has better health than any other army in the world. Do you know how fast the Third Division can march? Faster than any other division in the USE army. A lot faster, in fact. Everyone else, our own people as much as the enemy, keeps being surprised at how soon we show up somewhere. And do you know why?
Because the men always have good boots. All the men always have good boots, with plenty of spares. Socks too. The horses are always shod. All the horses always get shod, whenever they need it. The wagon wheels are always in good shape, and there are plenty of spares if something breaks. A wheel breaks, it gets fixed right then and there. Same for an axle.
The point is this, Mr. Hussar-who-isn't. You have no idea what a military force is capable of, when it's organized. The general won't even try to match Baner, maneuvering on an open field. That's why he launched his campaign in the middle of February. What general in his right mind wants to fight in the teeth of winter? I'll tell you: a general who knows that his enemy has more experience but his soldiers don't have boots that are worth shit."
— Eric Krenz, 1636: The Saxon Rebellion
I've won every battle but I'm losing this war.
— Robb Stark, Game of Thrones
