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<DIV>I just started reading a biography of General George H. Thomas. The author
believes Thomas may be the greatest general of the civil war. There is good
foundation for that conclusion: unlike Grant, Lee and Sherman, he never poured
troops into mass slaughter that accomplished nothing. "He poured his men into
battle only when it counted, and when it counted, he prevailed." No other
general saved two union armies from annihilation, and destroyed two confederate
armies. Unfortunately, he died in 1870 before writing his memoirs, and those who
did write their memoirs were interested in building up themselves. Since
everyone chooses their favorite generals based on where they live or grew up,
Thomas could be a kind of unifying figure, born and raised in Virginia, a friend
of Lee at West Point, who retained his commission in the United States Army in
1861.</DIV>
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<DIV>I'd have to give Lee one accomplishment nobody else matched: taking an army
less than half the size of McClellan's, dividing it into still smaller parts,
then winning several battles over seven days, by moving fast and convincing
McClellan that Lee outnumbered him 3 to 1. Thomas came closest when three fifths
of the union army was in disorderly rout at Chatanooga, and he pulled the rest
together to hold their ground and allow for an orderly retreat.</DIV>
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<DIV>Siarlys</DIV></BODY></HTML>
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