Davis and Lee at War

In this engaging, well-written account, Woodworth follows his award-winning Jefferson Davis and His Generals by analyzing Confederate strategy as it polarized around the South's principal war fighters: Davis and Robert E. Lee. Davis believed the South could win the war by not losing it. This defensive grand strategy, with offensive actions carefully limited, offered the Confederacy a chance to gain independence by exhausting its opponent's will. Lee, in contrast, believed it necessary to use the South's limited resources to strike hard and fast. Quick, decisive victories would convince the North to abandon the conflict. This policy, too, offered prospects for success. Neither, however, was pursued consistently. Woodworth convincingly argues that the successful professional relationship between Lee and Davis prevented a firm decision. Instead, the Confederacy compromised and ultimately fell to ruin between two strategic stools. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Nov.)