GDG- Re: Grant and Lee

[Biggsk at aol.com]

Norman Levitt writes:

>>>>I wouldn't consider a force of 8000 to be a major field  army, but that's 
a matter of terminology, I  suppose.>>>>
 
No it was not - - point taken - but it was the size of the Union army on  the 
field at Richmond and it was utterly smashed that day.  At 8000 men it  was 
larger than most 'armies" of the Rev War by the way.
 
 

I would  also say that the defeat of Bragg at Missionary Ridge was a rout, 
but by no  means an annihilation.  That army fought on for months, with some  
occasional success against Sherman and remained a serious threat-in-being  until 
Thomas smashed it utterly.>>>>


But only after being massively reinforced by men (a study of how many  
reinforcements the AOT received for and during the Atlanta Campaign by Richard  
McMurry shows that over 86,000 men served it its ranks during the campaign, with  
a one-time high strength of 75,000 being on the Kennesaw Line in June, 1864),  
loads of new cannons and wagons.  The army that left Missionary Ridge at  the 
run, and was saved by Patrick Cleburne's valiant stand at Ringgold Gap  
(after his valiant defeat of Sherman's part of the attack at Missionary Ridge),  
was in no shape to fight anyone larger than a boy scout troop for several  
months.
 
Greg Biggs