John Dunbar-37th Mass.Talks about Lincoln and Union Generals

[HerbS]

Enlisted-8-14-1862-Camp Briggs-Pittsfield,Mass.Gen.Burnside replacing MC Clellan-not popular.Reviewed by-Lincoln[such a great man] and Gen.Hooker with visiting European Generals.Have to start saluting officers now-not popular.Meade a good General.Hooker was drunk all the time.5-6-1864-Died at The Battle of The Wilderness!

[LincolnMan]

Herb: can you really trust John Dunbar. He became Dances-with-Wolves!

[HerbS]

Bill,You are correct about the John Dunbar in"Dances with Wolves".But,his ancestor[my neighbor] gave me copies of his letters home.I just got his view of more generals this afternoon.Interesting insight by him."Many generals get rank because of influence and wealth.Meade is the best general that the Army of the Potomic ever had.Burnside was good but his officers under him did not work with him.MC Clellan retreated too much and is nowhere.

[LincolnMan]

Nice! So even the enlisted soldiers knew McClellan had tactical "issues!"-even though accounts say the regulars loved him. His assessment of the Generals seems right on the money.

[HerbS]

Bill,I think,based on his instinct[In Combat]he saw things in reality.Very interesting!

[L Verge]

I always thought that maybe McClellan's men admired him because he dressed them up nicely and paraded them smartly - and kept them out of heavy conflicts that could get them killed!

[LincolnMan]

Laurie: Exactly! Yet, they must have known that he had the "slows"-as Lincoln said. One one hand they might have been thankful for not being engaged in battle, but, on the other hand, itching to do that very thing. A question the men would ask other soldiers: "Have you seen the elephant?"