Lee Takes Command

An interesting video above, comparing and contrasting the careers of Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston.  With the wounding of Johnston at Seven Pines , Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 1, 1862.  No American commander has assumed command in a grimmer situation than Lee did.  McClellan’s Army of the Potomac outnumbered Lee’s army almost two to one, and was but a day’s march from Richmond.  The Confederacy could well die in the summer of 1862 unless Lee could work the military equivalent of a miracle.  His initial letter to his command left little doubt that he realized the stakes were high and that he planned to use the Army quickly: