I suppose a simplistic summary of this article lies in General Thomas's unfair characterization only as the Rock of Chickamauga even though he was actually a much more important figure. Perhaps he was distrusted due to his Southern origins, or as the author opines, he lacked only a Congressional sponsor like Sherman and Grant had.
Thomas, as a young man, taught his slaves to read, his HQ in the war was the picture of effeciency and discipline. He bested Stonewall Jackson in an early skirmish, and of course, saved the Union army from disaster at Chattanooga. The author points out:
Thomas "comes down in history...as the great defensive fighter, the man who could never be driven away but who was not much on the offensive. That may be a correct appraisal," wrote Catton, an admirer and biographer of Grant. "Yet it may also be worth making note that just twice in all the war was a major Confederate army driven away from a prepared position in complete rout—at Chattanooga and at Nashville. Each time the blow that finally routed it was launched by Thomas."
As I finished the rather depressing demise of General Thomas, the inevitable question arose: what if Thomas had his sponsor and even earlier assumed the rank Grant eventually took. Would the disaster at Cold Harbor occured? Is it possible that 100,000 lives would have been saved? What if Thomas would have been elected president instead of Grant, bringing his organizations abilities, and sympathies for all southerners, (after all, he was one) not just those who were white. Reconstruction might have succedded, the civil rights movement might have occured 100 years earlier. What if Thomas had joined Robert E. Lee? Would we ever remember James Longstreet? Would this country be called the CFA now? The possibilities are fascinating and tragic to consider, but ultimately, it is a futile exercise.
I suppose it comes down to the fact that the best people do not always win. The same can be said for the best ideas. Every day the most effecient systems, the best products, the most profitable ideas are cast aside, down into the dustbin of history. Those that prevail often have little to do with merit. It seems like these days, most of them have must more to do with proximatey to power. This author might agree with that assertion, at least for generals in the Civil War. I don't think anyone who ever worked for a boss who always followed his favorite employee's advice would disagree either.
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