Originally Posted by
cafolini
Lincoln was a most ignorant military man. But he was also a most lucky one in giving comand of the north to George Meade when he needed the best general he could find. Meade would not have fought Gettysburg without doing what Lincoln could have never done. He was the way to democracy when he submitted to a vote whether or not the north would go after Lee. The north voted yes and the war went on. Otherwise Meade would have resigned.
Lee decided to play a trick, a gamble, where he lost 18,000 men. Then he started apollogizing as he withdrew into the deep south. Lee knew that unless Meade went after his defeated army he could not hope to entrap him latter in territory unknown to Lincoln's general. But so did Meade and did not go after that challenge.
Lincoln, who missunderstood the military game masterfoolly, came down on Meade heavily. Meade ignored Lincoln's lack of grasp and kept going safely.
His actions caused Lincoln to eventually show his political extreme compentency. He wrote a 271-word address which became known as The Gettysburg Address and delivered with it, at Gettysburg, our country into everlasting democracy: The government of the people, for the people, and by the people. Not many of us understood this until much later. Many still don't ~ C A Cafolini
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