[lit-ideas] Re: Melbourne, Tristam Shandy and Custer at Gettysburg
- From: David Ritchie <ritchierd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 15:59:23 -0800
On Feb 3, 2007, at 2:18 PM, Simon Ward wrote:
Streetmap has some handy little arrows on the sides and corners of its
map pages. If what you want to see is just off the map...
strawdinry!
Meanwhile...
I wasn't contesting Custer's appearance at Gettysburg (Meade promoted
him on the eve of battle), but rather that Lee's real intention was
for Picket et al to 'hold' Meade's centre whilst Stuart went round the
back and broke it up. For one, Lee wouldn't have used his best and
freshest troops for a holding operation (even one that might have got
out of control) and for another, Stuart, even with his entire force,
couldn't hope to penetrate Meade's line and sustain an attack. The
most expected of Stuart was that he would be in a position to spread
'confusion in the union rear and round up fleeing soldiers'. That from
Coddington citing Official Records.
So far the most convincing part of the case is an attack on the common
understanding that you outline, an attack which says, more or less,
"isn't it a bit lame to think that Lee 'just had an off day' when there
may be a better explanation to hand?" When I've finished the book I'll
get back to you on this.
David Ritchie,
Portland, Oregon
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
