GDG- ANV corps commanders

[Harry Smeltzer]

Remember that when Lee wrote this Ewell was not "with him", having been
wounded in August.  

Harry
-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com [mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]
On Behalf Of Teej Smith
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 8:04 PM
To: GDG
Subject: Re: GDG- ANV corps commanders

Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:





> Esteemed GDG Member Chet Diestel  Contributes:

>
>  The  first, and most obvious, choice in the reorganization of the ANV 
> that took place after Chancellorsville would seemed to have been Jeb 
> Stuart. After all, he led Jackson's command in the battle after that 
> general's wounding and by all accounts did an excellent job.

   Well, it's hard to judge what kind of job Stuart would have done as an 
infantry corps commander based on one battle in a campaign that had already 
fallen apart. Personally, I think he would have been terrible in that job. 
Kind of hard to throw really cool parties right under the watchful eye of 
Lee, no? Seriously, I think Stuart enjoyed the free-wheeling style being a 
cavalry commander afforded him and I think Lee thought so too.

<Snip>

. I've never figured out if it was because Lee did
> not want to loose Stuart as his cavalry commander that he was passed over 
> for one of the two corps vacancies, or was it because a non-Virginian, 
> Wade Hampton, would have taken over?

    A situation that would have taken place over Stuart's dead body which it

eventually did. Stuart would have moved heaven and earth to get Fitz Lee the

job as his replacement.

>  I have never been one of those "If only Stonewall was there," folks but 
> his death did have one major effect upon the ANV during the Gettysburg 
> Campaign. The ANV, even if Jackson had lived, was going to be reorganized 
> into three corps --- Ewell, it seems, was always the first in line to 
> become a corps commander, which meant A.P. Hill got that level of command 
> only because of Jackson's death necessitated another appointment.

    Hal Bridges wrote, "But Lee told Davis on October 2 [1862] that he 
needed only two corps commanders and therefore only two lieutenant generals.

And after naming Longstreet and Jackson he remarked, 'Next to these two 
officers, I consider A.P. Hill the best commander with me. He fights his 
troops well, and takes good care of them.'"  So, if Lee had needed only one 
more corps commander would he have passed over Ewell in favor of A.P. Hill?

Regards,
Teej


 
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