Jefferson Davis: Will Double Thinks

OK, we admit it. Jefferson Davis had the nearly impossible task of fighting a war against a superior enemy while simultaneously trying not to do the obvious and trade space for time. Davis needed to show the Europeans that the CSA was a real country while under enormous (and understandable) political pressure to hold onto territory. The problem is they couldn't. While everyone applauds Lee in Virginia, at the same time Grant is systematically driving a stake through the Mississippi Valley.

Davis' strategy was offensive/defensive. Let the Federals in and then hit 'em as hard as you can. This worked in Virginia but no one out west had a solution to Grant and later Sherman. We are amused by historians who criticize Sherman's drive through East Tennessee and to Atlanta, saying he failed at multiple places to destroy the Army of Tennessee. But, Sherman wasn't trying to destroy the Army of Tennessee. At Shiloh he figured out what happens when two armies go mano-a-mano and tried to avoid it. Instead he just out maneuvered the grays again and again.  

The solution wasn't attacking the North. Antietam (Sharpsburg for the Johnny Rebs out there) and Gettysburg were disasters for the Army of Northern Virginia.  

So maybe Davis was in a bad, no win situation. What's the solution? Lee out West?

Will Goes Confederate

Baaaaaaaa! 

Gout brings out the worst in us. Even after its cleared, the millions of tiny crystal shards leave muscles tired and sore. There's not much one can do other than close one's eyes and think of England. We could take anti-inflammatory but they would just knock us out in the afternoon and our sleep patterns are screwed up enough already. And this wasn't even that bad an attack. If we're going to get gout, we might as well have a hamburger and a couple of beers to show for it.

The gout knocks one out and gets downright depressing. As noted yesterday, we're prone to summer doldrums now.  Try telling us that would happen 25 years ago. What a great combo.

[You know, they make pills for that-Ed.]

We are well aware.

As we said, Baaaaaaa!

We figured out 20 years ago how to make use of down time. We've moved onto the next book in the Civil War (or The War Between the States) series, Six Armies in Tennessee. We're still wondering why anyone thought naming an army post after Braxton Bragg was a good idea. 

Yesterday we ordered a trio of books about Jefferson Davis and the CSA government.  Did you know there's a group out there that says its the Confederate Government, or some such. An interesting legal point, since the CSA never officially signed an instrument of surrender....to which any good Yankee would reply, they didn't need to becuase they never really a country. Remember 20 years ago when the treasury issued state coins commemorating their admittance to the Union? Who wants to bet that there were some folks down South insisting that the coins should list their readmittance, 1877 for Louisiana, say. You people know who you are. Our late grandmother, Hannah Marx (Eisenman) Stroock*, who was buried in Hartsdale, NY with a jar of Louisiana soil, would certainly say so.

Also we ordered a couple of Civil War tabletop wargames. We'll let you know how we do.

*Don't nobody ever tell us the Old South wasn't good to Jews. Click here.

Friday Flag

Stars and Bars Edition.

Via my Great Barrington neighbor.

It really is a good looking flag.