(07-10-2014 01:22 PM)john01992 Wrote:  

(07-10-2014 12:58 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(07-10-2014 11:50 AM)Phillip26r Wrote:  It's an odd thing, being considered great. What does that mean? If it means getting men to buy into your cause and being effective in completing a mission, then I think Washington and even N.B. Forrest have to be included.

To include Lee means to gloss over his order for Pickett's charge. To me, that is one of the biggest blunders in military history.

If it had worked, the charge, the war would have been over. It's only a blunder because it didn't pan out.

it didn't pan out because it was a terrible idea. this isn't risk where it comes down to the role of dice and random chance of something going wrong.

Why was it a terrible idea?

At no point before or since did the South have that kind of strength and that kind of firepower at the same place. If the attack had been successful the Army of the Potomac would have disintegrated and Washington would have fallen in a few weeks. Besides, the Army of Northern Virginia was on one hell of winning streak.

The risks were high, but so was the reward.