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I’m currently writing a book about the Battle of the Wilderness, which was the first time Robert E. Lee squared off against Ulysses S. Grant. Which of the two Civil War heroes performed better? 1/4
On the plus side, Lee audaciously pinned down Grant’s much larger army in the Wilderness, thereby neutralizing Grant’s advantages. Using the woods effectively and efficiently deploying his veteran troops, Lee suffered relatively fewer casualties than Grant. 2/4
Grant’s relentless hammering, however, surprised Lee. On the first day, Hancock might have destroyed Hill if it hadn’t gotten dark. On the next day, however, Longstreet almost rolled up the Union left flank, before getting shot. That would have been disastrous for Grant. 3/4
Tactically, Lee was superior to Grant in the Wilderness. BUT, by fighting such a costly engagement, Lee was unable to truly go on the offensive for the remainder of the war. Frankly, Lee’s relative lack of resources made victory nearly impossible after Gettysburg. 4/4
